The Legend of Dragoon
by CyVeroxen
Summary: Axel goes home to find that the village had been attacked and his friend, Roxas, has been taken by the enemy. But, when he goes to rescue him, he gets them both drawn into a war that’s bigger than both of them. LoD/KH Xover. Eventual AkuRoku.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The town slept peacefully as the moons cast their stolen light upon the small stone buildings. Rats scurried among the alleyways and owls hooted softly, watching meals-to-be with large eyes. Midnight had come and gone, but he sense of the time remained. The air was misty from the evening rain that recently ended.

Then the owls went quiet. There was a mass exit of rats from the main road.

A dull roar sounded from the north forest. The townspeople that had been lulled to sleep by the sound of the forest now stirred in their beds. Some even got out of bed to check on their animals. They dressed quickly, so as to avoid a chill, and went out to find a glow coming from the forest.

It was these people that died first. Skewered like meat on the soldier's javelins, they grunted and screamed as they were shoved aside like dolls. The animals cried and ran out of the barns, becoming more of a problem than not. The townspeople that heard this dressed and went outside their homes, gathering in the streets.

They all saw the same thing. The glow that was in the forest seeped into town from all sides; the villagers panicked. Fire was laid around the buildings, catching the thatched roofs and forcing anyone that had any previous sense out into the streets. Soldiers on steeds ran these villagers down to exhausted piles of flesh and bone and cloth. Enflamed arrows were shot down the streets and alleys and into buildings that hadn't yet caught.

The casualty count increased exponentially.

When finally the villagers were all either hiding in the woods or in the wreckage, or dead, or captured, the regiment's commander rode forth on his own steed. A sturdy helmet hid his face, and the joints of his armor clinked together as he dismounted. A private with a torch was there to lead him to their objective.

"Great Commander, this way," the private said, turning and leading his higher-up through the dimly lit street. They walked only a few yards before coming to a guard post around a makeshift cot (really a stolen table) with a body laid on it.

The commander looked the body over. Male- the soldiers got something right. He was small, but his face was that of an eighteen-year-old. Blonde hair stuck out in short, windswept spikes in all directions; pale eyelids concealed the shade of his eyes. His clothing hung off his thin frame, like loose sheets on a mattress, and were gray in color with various rips and tears, all stitched closed.

There stood, just outside the post circle, a man and woman who looked remarkably like the teen before him. The man held the woman close as she cried. The man was the village mayor- the teen was his son.

"So, this is him?" the Commander pulled a dull sphere out of a pouch and held it above the boy's forehead. A light connected the two for a moment then faded.

The woman cried harder.

The Commander hummed affirmatively. "Indeed. Put him into custody," he said to the private while tucking the sphere back into his pouch. He went back to his steed and found a cloaked, hooded man walking to a point past him. The Commander stopped him with a question. "Is this really necessary?"

"It is his majesty, Emperor Doel's command, to take that boy into custody." The man had a deep, commanding voice- it was obvious that he was a higher rank than the regiment's commander.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help one more question. "Who is he?"

"That is not your concern," the hooded man replied, walking away. He seemed to simply disappear into the fading night, but the Commander could not care less. He put in the order to pull out of the village, and the regiment did so.

The sun rose on a battered town.

* * *

A woman stood on a cliff looking over a wide forest. She wore a revealing black leather outfit with various buckles and zippers all over to keep the clothing from falling off her petite body. She had short, white hair and light red eyes that stood out, compared to her light-toned skin.

She was not startled as a loud roar echoed through the valley before her. Birds awoke and flew furiously away from the source, but she stood and waited. It was early morning and the birds should have been awake by now, anyways.

The trees parted, a large figure coming out of the part to peer over the trees. It was a lighter green than the surrounding trees, an appeared to be more like a giant insect than anything else.

But, the woman knew better than to think a giant flyswatter would kill the giant pest. She mouthed to herself.

"The Green Tusked Dragon, Feyrbrand…"

The dragon roared again and retreated back under the tree cover. The woman jumped down the cliffs, eager to follow it.

* * *

The path had just peaked, leaving Axel with a choice: he could go down the gentle slope, or he could stop and rest. Of course, after walking all morning and most of the night before, Axel opted for the latter choice, and sat down on a felled tree. As he sat, he pulled a notice he had received when he stayed in the last village. "Chance of war more likely," the notice read. 

Axel read those five words again and again, and still didn't want to believe it. "Maybe it's just a rumor…" He yawned and laid down for a quick nap. "Hope so…"

Sleep came, but not for very long. The sound of speeding animals rang out through the woods, stirring Axel not fifteen minutes after he had fallen asleep. He sat up, got off the log, and went down the path. His sword (not his weapon of choice, just easier to travel with) bounced at his hip as he jogged, coming to a fork in the road.

As he approached the fork, two soldiers came upon him, riding the typical Sandoran giant war-pig. Axel could feel their eyes scanning over his body, determining if he was a threat or not.

"Who are you?" the closer one demanded.

"Are you a mercenary of Basil?" the other one asked, pushing his boar forward and brandishing a spear. Axel thought it was funny, the way the second one's voice quivered a bit. Was he really so intimidating?

The first also made to poke him with his spear. "Answer!!!" As this soldier drew back to cut Axel, he unsheathed his sword and deflected the attack, then turned his body into a defensive stance. "What? You dare to draw your sword against an imperial soldier???"

Axel opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by a roar sounding out in the forest. He and the two soldiers looked around, but past the cleared paths, the wood was dense. The ground shook as whatever-it-was called out again.

Then the trees parted in front of the three and a giant preying-mantis-like creature bellowed again. The soldiers turned their boars around and retreated, leaving Axel alone with the creature. He stepped back a few paces, then jumped to the side when the bug swiped at him. Again, he leaped away from another attack. _I've gotta do something or I'll be killed!_ he thought as he rolled away from a third swipe, then he ran.

The creature ran after him , crashing down trees and gaining ground. Axel didn't dare look back, just kept running, jumping over logs and rolling out of the way of the destruction the bug caused behind him. He very narrowly missed a tree limb that crashed down right behind him- he had to jump.

As he ran, he noticed the trees becoming thicker. It soon became almost impossible for Axel to run without tripping. He landed gracefully each time, though- his instincts made him keep going.

That is, until that one tree root came out of _nowhere_ and really tripped him up. He landed, almost twisting his ankle, but the creature had gained too much ground by the time he had gotten back up. He turned to face it, pulling his sword out and holding his ground. Then, he felt a pair of arms grab him around his middle, and he dropped his sword as he was dragged behind a rock and covered by a tree limb.

There was another person next to him. The creature obviously couldn't rationalize, and started to thrash after it had lost sight of Axel. After a few minutes of mindlessly attacking at the ground, the bug turned and left. Axel sighed, and turned to the person next to him.

A woman, he noticed first. Then, white hair, leather, and a no-nonsense attitude. She seemed intelligent. "What was that?" He asked, coming out from behind the rock behind her.

She bent over and picked his sword up. Axel looked away- he had seen enough ass in his lifetime and wasn't interested in seeing more. He received his sword with a nod of thanks, and she spoke. "It was a dragon."

"Dragon?"

"But it's strange," she went on. Her voice was as gruff as he would have thought. There was almost no femininity to her voice- or, she was just really tired. "That village could have easily been destroyed without a dragon."

"Village…? Wait, you mean Seles???"

"There won't be anything left by now," she told him.

"Seles is my village! I have to go!" Axel ran, back the way he had come- opposite of the direction that the dragon had gone.

The woman stayed, watching him run. She had noticed that he hadn't looked her up when she retrieved his sword for him, and she smiled. But, her smile faltered when an object on a necklace glowed under her shirt. She covered the light, then mused to herself.

"Oh, my… that man is…? No, it can't be!"

* * *

Disclaimer: We claim no rights to Legend of Dragoon or Kingdom Hearts. 

Cy: Crossover time! Yippee! If anyone's ever played the game Legend of Dragoon, we'll be throwing the Kingdom Hearts characters into that plot for this story- genius idea creditted all to Veroxen, who will be with you for the next chapter. Review please- I'm not sure about her, but I'll be very sad if we only get one review.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

Axel ran as fast as he could through the woods. If what that woman said was true, then Seles was attacked. If anything happened to _him_, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Over a log past a small bubbling stream; he was close; his heart pounded with fear at the horrible sight, and smell of smoke. The trees thinned, and vanished, he bolted over the fence.

The smell of burnt flesh and wood filled his lungs. His heart pounded even faster as his eyes took in the terrible sight that suddenly unfolded before him. As the women said, there wasn't much left. Very few structures actually stood. Seles was dead, just like half its population; dead and burning.

Axel looked around as he tried to find away to the church, which was the only thing that was not damaged fully. His heart was still pounding as he tried to scale the rubble around the village. He had to see, he had to know. He jumped down to a clear undamaged patch of street, and straightened up. A chill ran down his spine and arms, and then a moment after the feeling, the sound of scraping metal cut the deathly silence around him. With a swift, fluid movement, Axel unsheathed the sword which he had never favored, but this time it would release the anger that filled his body. He turned around to see the three Sandora soldiers. Two were grunts; the third was an armor covered-captain.

"Oh, he thinks he can fight us," the smaller of the two grunts said. His voice was high-pitched and feminine.

"What should we do Captain?" The other Grunt asked, and he moved to the other grunt. Both had swords drawn and looked gleeful, (blood thirsty even).

"Kill him," the captain said in a cool, simple voice. The two grunts laughed manically and at once charged. Axel raised his sword. The anger poisoned him; the one person he really cared for floated through his memory. He would save him, and these soldiers would die for what they had done to Seles.

The three swords crashed. Axel was forced back only slightly, but he stepped forward, and he pushed back the two grunts. He pushed against his sword and then kicked one of the grunts back. He stumbled and fell into a barrel, where he was stuck. One down for now; Axel ducked as the smaller grunt swung at his head. As if time slowed; the sword over his head barely moved giving him an opening for an attack. Axel jumped forward; sword pointing at the grunt's chest. Time flowed back and blood-thick, dark, and warm splattered around the grunt.

Axel and the dead man fell forward. He regained his balance and pulled the blood stained sword from the lifeless body. Now it was the others turn. He turned his head to see the man trying to get out of the barrel. Axel raised his sword and rushed to him; he kicked out the barrel and swiped at the man, slicing clean through the throat. With this man dead, too, he turned his attention to the captain, who stood thirty feet away. He was waiting with his dark bladed sword at his side. Now it was his turn to pay the price of the attack.

* * *

The soldiers pushed the teen into the dirty cell. The gate slammed and it echoed in his ears. The cell was filthy. Fungus and mold grew on every surface except for the brown bed and sheets. The smell was between a mossy smell and an outhouse that hadn't been cleaned in months. The cell probably had gotten the filth and the smells from the many occupants it had held, and from the many that died and were left here for months before they were taken away. But now he had this cell. Would he die like the many others?

His pale blue eyes scanned the place and they fell on the small barred window which was very near the ceiling. He needed to reach out; he needed to see the stars. The teen quickly found an old box, and moved it carefully and quietly to the wall where the window resided. He placed the box right below the window and climbed upon it. There was no way he could get out through this window, but that didn't matter.

He grabbed the bars and looked out into the smoky air. As the rumors had stated, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. The distant slamming of a door told the teen that he was now alone on this deathly cold floor. He had turned to the cell gates after the door had slammed, as if someone would be there, but like his cell it was devoid of life; devoid of life, just like he felt. He slowly turned his head and looked back out into the smoky night.

"Axel…"

* * *

A large brute of a man began to walk over a large brown stone bridge. (This man seriously pushed the definition of "humanoid" in so many ways) His skin or fur, (it was hard to tell) was jet black. He had large fat ears. He looked more like a dog, and wore a blue and red suit with many red and blue buckles crisscrossing over his large form. Everyone in this brute's way moved away quickly. No one wanted to be in his way, not when he was in such a foul mood.

Why was he being told to keep a prisoner alive? All captives from that cursed village were either dead or they were being fed to his pet. (And oh has his pet been very happy lately) He strolled up the hallway, not realizing that his men were scurrying for cover and that the hallway was emptying quickly. He reached a large rope bridge that lead to the separate building in the center of the prison, and began to walk across. He stopped about half way when he saw a black cloaked hooded man blocking his path.

"You!" the brute yelled in a loud deep voice. "Why do we have that boy?"

"It is Emperor Doel's wish that he be here, and you _will _do as you are told," he said sharply to the brute. The warden advanced on the hooded man but he was blasted back, and the hooded man unsheathed his sword. "You _will_ not harm the boy. You _will_ guard the boy, and if _any_ harm comes to him, you _will_ pay." The last three words were full of hatred towards the warden. The warden stood up, and the hooded man vanished.

The warden cursed as he brushed off his clothes, and threw a man off the bridge when they tried to help him.

* * *

For the second time with in a few days the smell of burning flesh cut the air like a knife.(he was starting to really get sick of that smell) Axel peered over a moss-covered bolder looking straight into hell; Hellena prison, to be precise.

It seemed to rise up out of the sea in a deathly cold way. The prison was impossible to get to unless the bridge was down or you could fly. It was slanted backwards, and had many continuous streams of smoke rising up from it- like the warden his own crematoriums inside.

This was it; this is where they had taken him. That was what the captain said before Axel killed him. He didn't know what to do. He had to get in there, but he could be killed or captured; but what if he, the one person he really cared about was dying of being fed to the beast of hell that resided deep in the prison? There was only one way- storm the prison and take back what belonged to him.

A faint whining sound traveled on the air. Axel turned to see a two horse drawn carriage coming down the rocky path. Axel ducked behind a rock and waited for it to pass before running up behind it. This was his only chance.

The carriage stopped at the gate, and the guard yelled "Halt! State your business!" He had an angry snap to his voice- perfect for a door guard.

"I'm her to drop off the goods that Warden Pete requested," the merchant said in a dry, wheezy voice.

"Let me check," the guard said gruffly. Axel darted around to the side of the carriage and held his breath as the guard checked the back. "ALL CLEAR! LOWER THE BRIDGE!" He yelled and when the guard was back at his post, Axel dived into the back of the carriage. It jerked and began to move slowly over the wooden drawbridge.

As the carriage moved into the prison Axel thought about his situation. He knew what he was doing was suicide but he _had_ to rescue him and that's all that mattered to Axel. The carriage stopped and he heard the old merchant get down off his seat, and then a few moments later heard him shifting through the boxes that were in the room. Axel quietly climbed out of the back, and stretched.

The room was dirty, and covered black and green mold. Many old spears and swords with broken blades or handles littered the floor making it hard to move around with out making a sound. The boxes that were in the room were old, rotted, and moldy like everything else. Rats scurried across the boxes and floors. They obviously flourished in such filth. They had plenty of things to eat, dead and alive.

Something smashed and Axel jumped and looked around. "Damn it!" the merchant snapped as he tried to throw all the contents of the smashed box (wrapped fish) into a new box. A terrible thought had hit Axel like a stone. If the merchant was to turn around and see him; he would yell and guards would come, but before he could move the merchant turned and saw him. There was a brief pause as they looked at each other "Huh? Who are you?"

"Shh," Axel hissed in a pleading voice as he advanced on the merchant.

"Help! Help!" He yelled.

"You asshole!" Axel snarled at him.

"What was that?" A guard yelled.

"It came from over there!" Another said and then came the sound of hurried footsteps. Axel dived behind a stack of old creates as the guards came in.

"What's your problem?" The first guard asked the merchant.

"There, there's an intruder over, over…" Axel kicked the bottom box which was almost fully decayed. It smashed easily; the merchant dived out of the way, but the two guards were unlucky and were crushed beneath the boxes. Axel darted to the left, not wanting to be around when more guards arrived, and soon found himself in the large main hallway of the prison.

The hallway was large and devoid of guards. He saw a large, stone stair cases and ran towards it. He was forced to dive to the right of the stairs, behind a pillar as a large group of guards came around the corner. He was able, from his position to hear the conversation they were all having.

"I don't know what's going on. The Warden wants that boy taken care of, or at least left alive. He should be fed to the beast just like everybody else."

"I agree," another said "there's nothing special about that boy."

"The only thing special about that boy is he survived the attack." a third cackled. The ten men all laughed, then rounded another corner, and were out of sight.

"He's alive," Axel said in relief "but…where is he?" He looked up and then at the stairs expecting to see a sign post. He ducked out from his hiding spot, and climbed the stairs swiftly and silently. He stopped on the landing and peered around the corner. On the other side of the corner was a guard, dead asleep. Axel unsheathed his sword and jumped the unsuspecting guard. With a swift movement he slit his throat, and then tossed the body into an old box full of rancid meat. He covered the box, picked up his sword, sheathed it then climbed the ladder.

He was alive, and that's all that mattered. Nothing would stop him. With his hopeful vision Axel wandered through Hellena with absolutely no idea where he was going, and after what seamed like an hour he found himself standing in front of a large old rope bridge that led to the other section of the prison. The other building was separated from the main sect of the prison by a huge chasm. Axel stretched out his hands and toke the rope handles and made his way slowly across the old bridge. The bridge never seamed to end, and Axel suddenly felt irritated with himself. Why, all of the sudden, was he afraid of heights? After a few moments, he reached the other side if the bridge, and noticed a pulley system and an elevator.

"Wonderful." He said as he looked at it. He looked around, there was no other way of getting up, and he might be up there. He got inside of the elevator and pulled the lever. The elevator began to go up, and within a minute he stepped off it. It was then he noticed the door on the other side of the smaller rope bridge. He ran straight for it, not caring that one of the bridge planks snapped. He hit the door and tried to open but it didn't budge. It was obviously locked. "Damn door," he snapped, He turned back to the elevator and saw another doorway which led to more cells. He ran that way instead, and upon reaching the new hallway the smell of decay and mold covered the air. It was so unbearable that Axel pulled his cloak up to cover his nose and mouth. He had just taken a few steps to the bridge that connected to the two sides of the hallway together when there was a loud _BANG!_ Many angry voices filled the air and they were close.

"Stop the Basil Dog!"

"Kill him!" Axel uncovered his mouth and unsheathed his sword as the footsteps grew even louder. From around the corner came a man, running from the ten or so guards behind him, a staff in his hand.

* * *

Disclaimer: We don't have any rights to kingdom hearts or Legend of Dragoon. (we wish we did)

Veroxen: Yeah chapter one is going, going and gone. It took a while because of editing, i'm a terrible speller but luckily I have Cy on my side. Warning though I am random which is how I helped come up with this cross over. Now I will leave you, and Cy will be back with chapter two. Good bye all.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Torches every few feet created dances of firelight on the stone walls, and if Axel were not in such a hurry, he would have stopped and just _stared_ at the magnificent show that only fire could offer. But, as it was, he was in quite a hurry; and the man behind him stopped at nothing to keep reminding him of his urgency.

Xaldin, as the other man went by, was also in a hurry. He had to get back to Bale, and he had to get there in one piece. But, after a fight to break out from his own cell, another fight with the guards alongside Axel, and yet another fight _with_ Axel, the man admitted that his chances of escaping Hellena Prison alive (and in one piece) were slim- if he were to go on his own. So, Xaldin agreed to help Axel find his friend, as long as Axel then returned the favor and helped Xaldin get to Bale.

They ran through deserted corridors of the prison, looking for a way to the second tower; Xaldin had overheard guards talking about "that kid from Seles" and remembered that they had also mentioned a second, higher up, tower. It wasn't much to go on, but it was enough for Axel.

_Come Hell or high water, I will find him,_ he thought as he ran.

He led them up another set of stairs, and peaked around the corner at the top. He fell back, leaning against the wall. Xaldin stood beside him, and asked in a low tone: "What?

Axel looked over at him, met his eyes, sighed, and answered, "Guards. All over the place. Either we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in employee lounge, or there's some prisoner here that they don't want to loose."

Xaldin nodded. "Most likely the latter- there's no such thing as an employee lounge in Hellena." He readied his spear, and motioned for Axel to prepare his sword. The redhead drew his blade, breathed deeply, then led the way around the corner.

It took the guards a good ten seconds to realize that two of their own were already dead. They came at Axel and Xaldin brandishing their own spears, but were all killed as soon as they came within striking distance of either of their opponents.

Axel was slicing every-which-way, attacking anyone that dared to come close. Xaldin spun, hit, and stabbed, not caring how many times it took to take down the group that had gathered around him. Blood spattered on their faces while the hallway filled with grunts and curses of men whose eyes would close forever.

Briefly, Axel wondered if the noise would alert other guards making rounds, but the thought process was cut short by an enemy spearhead being driven through his arm. His face twisted in pain- it was like a thousand burning-hot needles piercing his skin in the same place- and he swung at the guard at the other end of the staff. The sword connected with its neck, but it stuck halfway in. A gurgling sound came from the guard as it fell to the ground, taking Axel's sword with it. Axel pulled sharply on the staff, taking out the spearhead, then swung around with it to clear any other guards that were ready to attack him.

He gasped at the pain, but banished it to the back of his mind and unstuck his sword. He swung blindly, catching another guard behind him and then regained himself enough to see where to attack. When it came down to the final two, Axel grabbed an abandoned spear off the ground and threw it at one, getting it in its eye.

The last was half-decapitated, the sword not slicing all the way through and instead leaving behind a body still pumping blood, gurgling, drowning in itself.

Axel almost felt sorry for it, then remembered that these were the same people that attacked his village, and kidnapped his best friend. There was no mercy left in his heart for these, things, these _monsters_. He knew that all these guards, they all volunteered to work here; None of them deserved a second thought.

Xaldin, he saw, had also finished with his share of the guards, and was panting, leaning against a wall.

Axel took a roll of gauze from a small travel pack on his belt, rolled up the sleeve on his shirt, and wrapped the hole in his arm. He felt Xaldin's eyes on him the entire time he sat on the floor. There was a blood puddle right next to him, shining in the torchlight. He could almost see his reflection in the liquid- but not enough to make out any features he knew he had. Like those two burn scars he received from a tribe in the far north, one under each eye. He had been frightened to receive the marks, and they hurt for a long time, but it had been worth it; He was still alive.

Satisfied with the wrap around his arm, Axel stood up, pushed the sleeve down, and leaned against the wall across from Xaldin. The other man spoke. "So, do you want to rest a bit more, or keep looking?"

Axel looked around. He found a window nearby, and padded over to it, looking out. They were high up- maybe even in the second tower. They had nothing but time to loose by looking around. "Slower, but we should keep searching. I'm not leaving without him," Axel said, peering back to look at Xaldin. The man nodded.

"But, we should look in these cells first; One of them might have your friend," Xaldin told him.

Axel sighed, but went about it. He looked through the top of each door, where there was a small, barred window. Going down the row, he found out something odd: there were no people in any of these rooms. Not one prisoner, just empty space. Axel began to loose hope that he was even around. What if they had already moved him to another prison, somewhere closer to the Sandoran capital?

What if he was already dead?

"Hey, Axel?" Xaldin called. Axel turned and went over to where Xaldin was. The other man pointed to the door. "There's someone in there. Small, blonde, just like you described him."

Axel's heart leaped into his throat, as he stood up taller to peer in. It was a little dark to see, but light from the cell's window fell on blonde hair. That was enough for Axel to kneel down and begin to pick the lock.

Xaldin fished around in his pockets for something. After finding it, he put it in Axel's face. "I have a key, if you want to try it."

No sooner after he completed his sentence did the lock _click_ open. Axel pushed the key out of his face and stood up, turned the knob, and almost fell into the cell.

The person sitting on the provided cot turned to look at him as he walked in, and Axel could immediately feel the same look that he always got from _him_ whenever he showed up unannounced. He swallowed hard, watching as legs unfolded out from underneath the body and he stood up. A few tentative steps forward, into the full light of the room, and Axel felt his eyes soften.

"Axel?" a tiny whisper expanded to fill the room.

"Yeah, Roxas," Axel responded, stepping forward and pulling his friend into his arms. He felt Roxas bury his face into his chest, and Axel petted the blonde hair and held the teen close. "It's me."

Roxas was fisting his hands in Axel's shirt while suppressing tears. _He came,_ he thought happily, _He really came for me._ It was such a surprising concept for Roxas, that he had to voice it. "You came," he whispered. He couldn't stop the one tear that fell when he looked up into those green eyes and felt the same care that always radiated from them. His eyes closed on their own when Axel brushed away that one tear with his thumb. Roxas then put his forehead back on his friend's chest and breathed deep. Yes, this was the same Axel that had left so many years ago with the promise that Roxas just had to call his name, and he would come for him.

All Roxas had to do was say his name, and he was there.

He heard Axel speaking softly, only for him, saying comforting words like, it's gonna be okay, I'm here, I'm here.

For the first time since Axel left, Roxas felt happy.

"Excuse me," Xaldin said from the doorway. Axel released his hold on Roxas, and the blonde stepped back, still holding Axel's hand- like they used to when they were younger. Two dark blue eyes- not evil, just dark- looked at their hands, and then turned on Axel. "Sorry to ruin the moment, but we have to get out of here."

Axel nodded, then led the way out of the cell. Xaldin looked Roxas up and down, deeming him either really short for his age, or somewhere around thirteen or fourteen. Judging by the way that Axel connected with Roxas, Xaldin guessed it was the former.

Now, Xaldin didn't have any experience in the department, but he had a sense of logic, and could tell by the way their hands were clasped gently together, and that the small blonde stood just slightly behind Axel, that these two had something serious ready to put into action. Like, a relationship of sorts. But, Xaldin knew it wasn't his place to say anything like that. Maybe, he'd talk to Axel later, but then again, maybe not.

The two behind him followed through the hallways, down stairs, and after an hour of careful walking, they saw daylight. The exit was right in front of them. Xaldin stopped them, noticing the lack of guard patrol around the area they were about to run right into.

"Why are we stopping now, Xaldin?" Axel asked.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Xaldin answered. He looked around, still seeing nothing out of the ordinary. But he was a knight- he didn't live so long on the field by taking chances. There was no reason to move forward when he felt bad about a situation; His feelings were almost always right. He didn't want to be the reason for either Axel or Roxas's death or capture.

Movement. To the side! Xaldin looked, but there was nothing. Again! Out of the corner of his eye, something moved, and his head turned to follow it.

Roxas whimpered behind him, and Axel turned to the blonde and comforted him. While their attention was turned, Xaldin continued to look out into the room.

The exit was _right there. _Twenty paces, at _most_ would bring them right there. Well, maybe twenty-five for Roxas, but still. It wasn't far. Knowing his luck, if he were to sprint it, he'd trip and get attacked.

Over there! Xaldin darted his eyes again, and saw the cape of a high ranking officer disappear behind a corner. They were waiting to ambush them. Xaldin turned to the two behind him, seeing them sitting on the floor. Roxas had leaned against Axel's shoulder, possibly getting a small nap in. Xaldin knew how hard it was to sleep in this place; He, too, had been a "guest" in Hellena for the past few weeks. He knelt down in front of the two, and Axel gave him his full attention.

"They're waiting for us, and if we go out there, they will attack us."

Axel looked down at the sleeping blonde. "I take it that door is the only way out, too, right?" Xaldin nodded, and Axel cursed. He tightened his arm around Roxas's shoulders, pulling the blonde closer to his side. Xaldin watched as Axel gently woke Roxas up, brushed his hand across the blonde's face, and told Roxas the news.

Roxas nodded, understanding. Xaldin stood up, followed by Axel, who then helped Roxas up. "A sprint for the exit might not work, but if we're able to sneak around and take out the patrols one by one, our chances of getting out alive will be much greater," Xaldin explained, like he would to his own patrol he used to lead.

Axel turned to Roxas. "I want you to stay close, okay?"

Roxas pouted, and looked around, seeing two abandoned shortswords near a patrol post. He padded softly over, picked them both up, and turned back to Axel. "I can fight, too, Axel. I'm not helpless, and I _did_ have to take care of myself for the last five years while you were away."

The blonde walked up to Axel, and smiled. "But, I appreciate your concern, always." Axel smiled back, pulled his own sword out and nodded to Xaldin. They were ready to go.

* * *

Roxas leaned against the wall, his "borrowed" swords on the floor next to him. They were almost all the way around the room, and had taken out every Hellena guard they came up against. Roxas had lost his personal count at around sixty. How the warden of this place had found more than sixty people willing to work in this hellhole of a prison was far beyond Roxas's comprehension.

He looked over at Axel and Xaldin, finding them panting and their faces splattered with blood. Axel was against the opposite wall, Xaldin was leaning on his spear. Hoping that the blood was not their own, he went over to Axel and stood in front of the older man. He reached up and wiped some of the blood off as Axel smiled that beautiful soft smile at him and held his waist with his free hand.

Roxas missed these small touches that always made him feel safe.

Axel, after looking over at Xaldin to make sure the other man wasn't looking, sneaked his arm the rest of the way around Roxas's waist, lifting the blonde's shirt up a little so he could touch bare skin. He hissed in pain when the bandaged part of this arm was touched, and immediately hoped that Roxas didn't hear.

Hoping never worked.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked, lifting his head up from Axel's chest. The care shimmering in the blue eyes made Axel groan a little, pulling his arm back around to show Roxas. He knew better than to say 'nothing' to Roxas- the boy would nag until Axel gave in and told him, anyway.

"I was stabbed in the arm. It still stings a bit," Axel said, letting Roxas see the bloody gauze wrapping around his arm.

"When was this?"

"Awhile ago," Axel said, wishing that Roxas would just let this go.

"He's lying," Xaldin spoke up.

Roxas glared. "You're lying."

"No, I'm _not_."

"Yes, he is," Xaldin said.

"Shut _up_, Xaldin!" Axel gritted out.

"What happened, Axel?" Roxas spoke hard.

"Nothing, _Roxas!_" Axel pushed the blonde away and walked away, going in the direction that still needed to be cleared out.

Roxas followed and pushed the redhead up against the wall, wincing with Axel as his head smacked against the stone; He dropped his sword. Xaldin watched with interest while they spoke with their eyes. He had only known his mother and father to be able to do such a thing, but with the way their heads turned and how neither blinked much, it must be how they can communicate, too.

They both looked away from each other and sighed at the same time. Roxas's eyes darted back to Axel's face, to find that Axel was watching the ceiling. Roxas leaned his cheek on the firm chest, feeling Axel's arms close around his waist almost instinctively. When Axel's chin rested on the top of Roxas's head, the blonde felt the happiness envelope him again.

And again, their moment had to be interrupted by Xaldin. "Sorry again, but we have to keep moving," the other man said, holding out the two shortswords for Roxas. The blonde turned around and took the blades.

While Axel was getting his own sword off the floor, Xaldin asked Roxas, "Hey, who taught you to fight, kid?"

The pout reset itself back on Roxas's face. "Don't call me 'kid.' And, I learned on my own."

Axel didn't comment, only walked forward.

* * *

The last patrol was right in front of them. It was the last one that needed to be taken out, and then they could leave safely. But, Xaldin had explained to both Axel and Roxas that the warden, Pete, might be around this corner, waiting for them.

Axel had not spoken to either of them the entire way, something Roxas wasn't taking well. He wished Axel would at least look at _him_, but he only nodded to Xaldin when orders were given. He wished he hadn't pressed Axel to talk about his injury- Roxas knew that Axel didn't like talking about things that hurt him. He knew that Axel always felt that he needed to be strong for him, that Axel believed that he needed to stay strong for him, and that he shouldn't have pried. But he did, and he had no way to make it up to the redhead, to get back into his good graces.

Roxas collected himself, and nodded to Xaldin that he was ready to take on the last patrol. Xaldin turned away, faced forward, and led them into the fight.

Both swords out and being held behind him, Roxas ran into the troop- not a patrol, a whole troop!- and swung with his left hand first, defended with his right on a side attack, then swung both at one guard, spilling blood all over the stone floor. They attacked from all sides, and Roxas was thankful he had both blades when he started receiving more than just two attacks at a time.

It was twenty against one, from Roxas's point of view. And, he was having a hard time getting the twenty down to fifteen, even. These swords were dull, and had more use as bludgeons than proper blades. It didn't help Roxas any that the guards were all much taller than he, proving it difficult for him to reach any spot that would make a clubbing deadly.

Xaldin stabbed another guard, and noticed that there was a large group around where Roxas had gone to fight. The guards in this group were reaching in and poking their spears in the middle, trying to get at whatever was there; Xaldin had a bad feeling that it was Roxas.

His feelings had never been wrong.

"Axel!" the redhead looked over to Xaldin, seeing the man point to where Roxas had gone. He finished off the two still around him, slicing low and leaving both guards with deep gashes in their stomachs.

He ran to the mob and cut them back. Many were stabbed in the back, literally, and fell in a heap around Axel. The blonde in the center was hysteric, trying to take on at least six guards at once. Axel took out four, and then the other two were both stabbed by the blonde's blades- a tough piercing, Axel noticed.

Roxas then turned his swords on Axel, almost taking the redhead out, but Axel deflected the blows and stepped back. Roxas's eyes were scared- either with having to fight off that many guards at once or at almost hurting Axel, neither of them knew for sure. But, when they were both sure that there were no more guards in the room, Roxas dropped his swords and ran forward, hugging Axel tightly around his middle; Axel, of course, returned the embrace, as he was just as happy to see Roxas alright as Roxas was happy to be out of that circle of certain death.

Laughter rang out in the hall. "That's so sweet, I think I have cavities now!" Axel readied his sword and pulled on Roxas's arm so the blonde stood behind him. Xaldin came up to them and stood to Axel and Roxas's back. Out of the doorway, a large beast of a man came- the warden, Pete.

"But, you should know that no one escapes the hospitality of Hellena prison. Especially when I have direct orders not to let _that_ one leave under any circumstances," he pointed to Roxas, who then buried his face in Axel's arm.

Axel readied his blade, staring hard at the warden. If this man was scaring Roxas, then he must be eliminated.

"Axel," Xaldin got his attention, "we don't need to kill him, just injure him enough so he can't follow us."

The redhead nodded his understanding. Then, he let go of Roxas's arm and charged right at Pete. He slowed right before connecting, watching the warden flinch to where he would have been had he continued. Axel sliced at the open skin on the warden's face, managing a deep cut across his right cheek, then dodged to the left. He feinted left again, then moved back right, cutting at his side, making Pete fall to that side.

Xaldin moved forward and planted his spearhead into the crevices in the stone floor to swing around and kick the warden in the face, then followed through by knocking his head back with his spear. The warden fell back on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

Both men looked at the heap of beast in front of them, smirked at each other, then turned and ran. Axel grabbed Roxas's swords and arm while passing them, dragging the blonde behind him. They stopped briefly to mount the Sandoran war-pigs that were available; Axel pushed Roxas up first, then followed and sat behind the blonde, pressing his chest against Roxas's back and grabbing the reins. When he saw that Xaldin was also mounted and ready, he kicked the boar into a run and sped across the drawbridge.

Roxas turned his head around and watched the prison fade away into the horizon. When he could no longer see it, he turned back to face Axel, who smiled down at him.

He was happy to have his Axel back.

* * *

Pete paced up and down the entrance hall, yelling at the remaining guards for having lost the boy- and the Basil soldier, for that matter. "Half of you, go out and find that kid! Now, and if you come back without him, I'll behead you all!!"

Needless to say, the guards that stayed were grateful for not having to carry _that_ burden.

Pete turned and walked up to the top of the second tower, then gasped when he saw _him_. "Y-You! What are you doing here?"

The black-cloaked man just laughed. "Perhaps I should report this to His Majesty?"

"You should do nothing of the sort!" Pete said. "I'll get him back, just wait and see!"

"Otherwise, I'd have killed you by now," he said, his hood tipping back just enough to let a few strands of silver hair fall out. He quickly tucked them back, and watched as Pete retraced his steps and went back down the stairs, yelling about how, if the first set doesn't come back within the next day, another half of the employees would be sent out with the same mission.

The hooded man just smiled wider and looked out towards the north- to the province of Basil. "It doesn't matter, though. It's all going as I planned it. They don't even know they're in the palm of my hand."

* * *

They rode for a few hours before coming to the forest that led to Seles. After he helped Roxas down, Axel let the boar run free, as did Xaldin, and they started through the woods. They were quiet as they walked- but Roxas gasped when Axel picked him up and pulled him into the side brush with Xaldin. Axel kept his hand over Roxas's mouthwhile the two Sandoran guards he had noticed ahead passed them.

When he was sure they were out of earshot, he took his hand, slowly, off of Roxas- but kept a finger there to remind the teen to be quiet. There would be no chances taken now that he knew Roxas was relatively safe. Axel turned to Xaldin. "I don't think we'll make it back to Seles if there are more guards. They'll just take Roxas again."

Xaldin tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You both could come with me to Bale, until it gets quieter around here. Then, if you want to, you could come back."

Axel looked down at Roxas and took his hand the rest of the way away from his mouth. "Are you okay with this?"

"As long as I'm with you, Ax," Roxas whispered back. A faint blush tinted the blonde's cheeks when Axel smiled down at him, then he looked back at Xaldin and nodded.

"Then, we have to go to the prairie, and through that cave, right?" Axel asked.

"Yeah, so we'd better get moving." Xaldin led the way out of the brush, away from the path.

Axel stayed next to Roxas, ready to help if he was needed. Much to his dismay, Roxas did _not_ need his help- the Roxas he knew had grown up into a pretty self-sufficient young man. A highly _attractive _young man, but that was beside the point. Axel bit his lip- when had Roxas become so... well, _beautiful_?

Granted, he wasn't like some of the model women he had seen, but he was beautiful in his own way. Those blue, blue eyes that still sparkled with a childish curiosity from time to time were the same- Axel had had many a dream about those blue eyes looking up at him, albeit cloudy and lust-filled. But, now looking into Roxas's eyes- real ones, not dreams- he wouldn't dare even think about tainting them with his own desires.

Everything about Roxas- especially the eyes- was just so pure back then. But, now, Roxas had a different aura about him, a tougher one. He still had a sort of innocence to him, but it was so much harder to see, to feel. Axel was really worried, then, that the Roxas he knew was long gone.

"Hey, Axel?"

He looked up. Roxas was looking back at him, smiling like he would when they were sneaking about Seles when they were younger. "What?"

"You were thinking- kinda zoned on me," Roxas said, smiling broader. Axel noticed how, even though Xaldin was looking back, too, Roxas said "me" instead of "us." He shook his head and caught up to them, walking at Roxas's right side.

When he saw that Xaldin had turned away and started walking again, Axel put his arm around Roxas's shoulder and pulled the blonde to his side. Roxas, in return, put his arm around his waist and rested his head on the redhead's shoulder.

A slightly awkward position, but neither really cared.

It was when they reached the prairie that they broke apart- they heard yelling first, indistinct to them, it must have been far away, but when they could make out, "Keep the kid from Seles alive!" they ran. Xaldin quickly fell behind- Axel was dragging Roxas along by the hand, almost ready to pick the teen up and carry him, but they were going plenty fast.

They had to stop briefly, though, when Xaldin called out to them, saying that he was shot. Axel looked back, and told Roxas to stay where he was while he went back for Xaldin. Roxas, for once, obeyed and waited while Axel helped Xaldin up. There was an arrow sticking out of the back of his right leg.

Continuing farther into the plains like this, with Roxas next to Axel or a little bit behind him and Axel helping Xaldin move, they came to a fork in the path, shaded by a large tree. An ideal place for travelers to rest; an ideal place for the threesome to hide. Axel and Roxas helped Xaldin sit back against the tree, and then heard Sandoran soldiers yelling.

"Alright, kids first; then we might consider sparing the other two!"

The bushes shuffled themselves, and a large squirrel came out. "This is the fugitvie?"

"Oh, shut up, you idiot. They must have moved on."

The guards moved down the right path- the one that led back to Seles. Axel helped Xaldin up and led the way, instead, down the left path, Roxas trailing behind a little.

They came to a stable soon enough, and went in to rest, and to deal with the arrow in Xaldin's leg.

"You shithead! Do you not know how to deal with these kinds of things?"

"Well, excuse me! I'm not the Basil Knight that can't keep up with a kid and then makes himself an easy target!"

"Will you two just SHUT UP??"

Axel and Xaldin looked at Roxas, standing in the doorway, glaring at both of them. Roxas sighed. "You two quarrel worse than my mom and dad, and _that's_ saying something," he said, walking over and kneeling next to Axel, in front of Xaldin. Gently, he messaged around the impact area, easing the arrowhead out onto the floor. Without asking, he took a gauze pad from Axel's side pouch and dressed the wound.

He took another roll and bandaged it, making sure it was secure, and replaced the Knight's pant leg.

"You did that well," Xaldin mused.

"I learned first aid from my mom; thought it would be useful," Roxas muttered, standing up and going for the door.

"What? Did a pig just fly? I though you said you learned something, Roxas!" Axel said, standing up as well and taking a few steps toward the teen.

Roxas turned right around. "Well, I had to, seeing as Mr. What's-His-Face could've come back any minute injured!" His demeanor had changed drastically from a sweet, hard-working first aid-er to the angry Roxas that Axel knew was hiding in there somewhere.

Was Roxas really angry at him?

"I could- and can!- take care of myself! It was always _you _that needed protecting, and it killed me to leave you there, but I did it with the best intentions!" Axel half-shouted.

Xaldin looked on in interest, but he felt like a third wheel.

"_Best Intentions_?? What _intentions_? You just, up and left one day, a stupid little note left with my dad saying for me not to worry about you- I was _thirteen_, Axel, and you were my _best friend_, of course I was going to worry, damnit!" Roxas was shaking- maybe he _was _angry with him.

"But you were safe, for the most part, right? If I had brought you with me- which I considered, _believe me_, I didn't want to leave you alone- you could've been killed so much more often than I could have sanely dealt with!" Axel yelled back, he straightened up, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. Calmer, he continued, "What do you mean, 'were?'"

Roxas looked down at the floor. "You... are still my best friend, Ax... I just... You seemed to be a better friend back then." He hugged himself and sat against the wall while Axel sat down on a milking stool. They sat and watched each other for awhile.

Xaldin felt he could cut the tension with his spear. _Not _cool.

"Axel?" the redhead nodded, to show he was listening. "Where did you go the past five years?"

Those green eyes stared at him. "Why do you want to know?"

Roxas shook his head. "Nevermind, we don't have time for this now."

Axel sighed. He knew that whenever Roxas said "nevermind" it was just because he wanted to know, and had no other reason. Axel had no reason to keep it from Roxas anymore; it wasn't like Roxas was thirteen and couldn't handle his best friend- and roommate of all those years- leaving him for an extended period of time.

"I needed to find it, that thing that took... _them_... from me, and kill it. I knew you'd want to come along, and you were too young, so I didn't tell you," Axel said.

"The Black Monster?" Axel stared hard at Roxas when he said this. "I only know the name," Roxas continued, "No one would tell me any more than that; they said I was still too young."

"What's a Black Monster?" Xaldin spoke up.

"I don't know, but when I find it, I will kill it. The Black Monster took my first home, Neet, away from me. It destroyed the town and killed everyone in the village- including my mom and dad. I was five when it happened," Axel paused, gripping at a stone around his neck. "It was also when I found this." The stone glowed red, enough to light up Axel's face, briefly, and then went out. "My dad never went anywhere without it. It's the only thing I have left from them."

Roxas nodded. "I understand now."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Axel muttered.

"You were on a journey to bring closure to the past?" Xaldin asked.

"I'm not done yet."

Xaldin "hmm"ed and then went off on another thought. "If you're looking for something like what I'm thinking this 'Black Monster' is, Master Yen Sid might be able to help. He's the advisor to King Zexion at the castle in Bale- very well-versed in all aspects of history. I could get you in to talk with him, if you'd like."

"Any leads are useful," Axel said. "Thanks."

"We should leave now, then. I'd rather get to the cave before nightfall."

"But, your leg...?" Roxas spoke up. Xaldin and Axel both looked at him. "You shouldn't put too much pressure on it so soon..." Roxas muttered, standing up and walking out of the stable. "Whatever..."

Axel nodded to Xaldin, and they stood up, too. Xaldin seemed to be fine- he could walk okay, and could stand by his self. They went outside and Axel called Roxas over. They walked through the prairie- well, Xaldin had a slight limp- at a leisurely pace, knowing that they had left the Sandoran soldiers far behind.

They reached the mouth of the cave by nightfall, and stayed right outside. Axel made a fire- he always had an affinity and certain ability for fire- and the older men caught rabbits for dinner- rotisserie-style. Roxas yawned first, laying down on the ground with his arm as a pillow.

Xaldin smiled at the child-like image Roxas created without knowing, but he turned away to sleep. He had a way of knowing when two people needed some kind of alone time.

Axel was grateful of this, and laid down next to Roxas. The blonde snuggled up close- he wasn't asleep yet, it seemed. Axel breathed in through the blonde locks, and heard Roxas mutter a question.

"If you haven't found it yet, why did you come back?"

Axel though for awhile, then answered quietly, so that only they could hear.

"My Roxie senses were tingling."

* * *

Disclaimer: I swear, after doing two stories and around ten different oneshots, I'm getting really annoyed with doing disclaimers. Can't anyone just understand that if a person is writing fanfiction they probably don't own what they're writing about?

Cy: My computer had crashed, I got it back last night (5/21/08). I finished typing the last seven pages in four and a half hours today in-between laundry sessions. I'm sorry it's not up sooner- I don't do hard copies, so I didn't know what I had written. SO, I couldn't rewrite it on a different computer. Sorry again! Stay tuned for Veroxen's next chapter- which hopefully won't be as dragging as mine was. Sorry...

Extra Note: I would greatly appreciate feedback on the style of this chapter, overall how it was written, ect. From people that have played LoD, I would like to know how I did with the fight scenes and the Axel/Roxas meeting scene in the cell; did you like it better, or worse, than the game showed Dart and Shana? Most importantly, though, (for both) although it is slight fantasy, is the writing believable? Normally, I don't ask these questions, but I'd really like feedback on these aspects. Thanks in advance! Cyhyr


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The sound of dripping water was the only sound made by the cave. It dripped from the ceiling, it dripped from the walls- it dripped from any where it could. The floors of the cave were wet and covered in strange mushrooms. An eerie bluish-green light filled the cave, but the source was unknown.

Xaldin stepped causally over the rocks and stones that covered the ground under the moss. Roxas was behind him, and Axel brought up the rear. His hand rested on the handle of his sword. The darkness in the cave held something and they all knew it.

"How long do you think it will take us to get through this cave?" Axel called to Xaldin.

"A few hours or so," Xaldin said in an unconcerned voice. Axel frowned and looked around the large chamber that they were in. The smell of moss, wet rocks and water filled the air (better then the smell of death back in Hellena). Axel looked up and could just make out the glittering eyes of the cave bats on the ceiling. The sound of the river began to fade and Axel was suddenly overcome by a sense of impending doom. It was the same feeling he had when he had faced the dragon. Xaldin stopped, but Axel hadn't noticed and he almost walked into Roxas.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked, but Xaldin silenced him. Axel immediately strained his ears trying to hear what was creeping along in the cave. The sound of shifting rocks suddenly grew louder, and louder. It reached a deafening pitch then died down to silence.

"What was that?" Axel asked Xaldin.

"I'm not sure," Xaldin said sounding uneasy. "Maybe it was a cave spider or something."

"I hate spiders," Axel said flatly.

"Then you'll love the ones here. They're about four feet high, and if their fangs hit the wrong spot on your body they could kill you." He turned and smiled at Axel. "But they hardly ever attack people."

"Probably because most people don't go through Limestone cave," Axel muttered when Xaldin faced forward.

* * *

They reached the other side of the chamber and all three of them looked around. "Now what?" Roxas voiced.

"Now we try to find the tunnel that leads to the next…" but Xaldin's voice faded away as he walked along the edge of the chamber.

Axel and Roxas watched Xaldin move carefully around the cave. Both knew their chances of finding the tunnel was better if they all searched separately; they split up.

Roxas stepped carefully down between two large boulders and then immediately jumped up. As he jumped up out of the hole he accidentally sent rocks crashing into the pit. Both Xaldin and Axel turned to Roxas's shadowy out line. Roxas watched with a stunned look on his face, as the green slimy puddle he had accidentally stepped in slowly oozed up out of the pit.

"What the hell," Axel said in disgust as he made his way, clumsily, to Roxas, "is that?"

"What is it?" Xaldin called over.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Axel yelled angrily. "It looks like a moving green puddle of slime!"

"I know what you are talking about. Stay away from them they are poisons." Roxas instinctively kicked out his leg to make sure that there were not stray parts of the creature on him. Xaldin turned away from Axel and Roxas and came face to face with a large serpent.

Axel walked past the moving puddle of slime to Roxas. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Roxas said strongly, "It just startled me that is all." Axel gave him a searching look. Neither one of them heard Xaldin's curse as he tried to kill the serpent. An awkward silence fell between them and still they didn't hear the scuffle behind them.

"I still can't believe you faced Hellena to save me," Roxas muttered as he broke the silence between them. Roxas looked up into Axel's face when he felt his hand on his shoulder.

"I would face anything for you." There was another pause and then Roxas hugged him.

"I hope that I'm not disturbing anything important right now, but I could sure use a hand!" Xaldin snapped. Axel looked up past Roxas and saw Xaldin struggling with a creature in the shadows.

* * *

After the large serpent left they found the passage. The creature, apparently, had been sleeping in the tunnel mouth and had become unhappy when it was disturbed.

"Right," Xaldin said as he wiped sweat from his forehead, "let's go." He went first, followed by Axel, then Roxas.

It didn't take long for the air temperature to drop as they walked down the rocky path. Xaldin had, when they entered the cave, lit an oil lamp, so they could see down the path.

The whole time they walked down to the depth of the cave, they heard dripping, scurrying and faint evil hisses. Once or twice they had encountered a living puddle of slime. A few other times they ran into actual living masses of poisonous slime; in these colonies, all of the slime creatures wanted to attack them, but they all fled when Xaldin waved the lantern at them. The only damaging attacks they had were from the bats. They had become confused by the appearance of light and all of them had attacked Axel, Roxas and Xaldin.

Finally, after what seamed like hours, they reached a large cavern, though it wasn't as large as the entrance chamber. Two things that were similar between this chamber and the entrance chamber were that they were both lit by that same eerie blue light and the constantly rushing water.

The ground wasn't covered in moss, but instead all the rocks were wet and slimy. Xaldin put the lamp out and placed it back on his belt. Axel and Roxas watched him walk away. Then a moment later, Xaldin had to jam his lance between the rocks to stop himself from falling.

All three of them approached the cold river. It twisted around a corner and vanished. "It's too far to jump," Xaldin told Axel, who had walked right up on his left. Roxas carefully stopped on Axel's other side and stared at the river.

"How deep is it?" Axel voiced.

"Pretty deep in some points, but it's too cold," Xaldin said and he turned to Axel. "If we were to try to walk or swim through it, we could get swept away to God knows where, or we could get sick from the cold." He looked around the cave. "And I'm sure that you felt the temperature change as we came down here." Roxas bent down to the water as Xaldin spoke and placed his hand into the cold looking water, but it wasn't cold at all. In fact it was quite warm.

"Hey its actually…" But Roxas never finished his sentence. The rocky bank collapsed into the fast moving _warm_ water, and it sent all three of them into the rapids. All three were easily swept away.

Roxas soon found out that the water was _quite_ deep. He swam up as fast as he could, and broke the surface a moment later. He shook the water out of his face as he tried to stay afloat. He looked forward and saw the water splash against the various rocks. He swam hard to the corner and barely missed the wall. Roxas felt the water pick up speed as it rushed down a hill. He avoided yet another corner then he felt the bottom of the river and was thrown forward.

The water had flooded the floor of the room as it spread out, and because of this the water was only up to his knees. Roxas stood up, and moved to a large boulder that was easily above all the water. It took a few minuets to get up on it because he was so wet, and he kept sliding off. When he finally got on it he looked around the room. Not all of the room was flooded, just the lower areas.

"That was some ride," he said and then he shook the water out of his face. After he pushed back his hair he began to wring out his cloths. He gave up, knowing he was doing a bad job, and instead removed his shoes and dumped all the water out of them. He heard someone swear loudly, and he looked up. It didn't surprise Roxas that it was Xaldin. Apparently he had gotten up, only to fall backwards with a loud splash.

"Damn it!" He snarled as he dived forward in an effort to stop his lance from floating away. There was another loud splash as Axel hit the floor, and, like Roxas and Xaldin, he was flung forward because of the sudden stop, and then fell on the unexpecting Xaldin. Both men swore as they fell back away from each other and Xaldin's staff floated over to where Roxas was. He jumped down and took the lance, and carefully moved to the other two.

"That was so bad!" Xaldin yelled and he looked around.

"Actually that was pretty fun… except for the landing," Axel looked up, and took Roxas's outstretched hand.

"Thanks Roxas," both Axel and Xaldin said as Roxas pulled Axel up and as he handed Xaldin his lance back.

"Now where do we go?" Roxas asked Xaldin.

"Up would be the best place, but we'll follow the river for now to see where it's going," he said as he pushed his wet hair out of his face.

All three moved through the water with considerable noise. Xaldin thought that nothing in their right minds would live down there- they were safe, for now. As they walked on, they suddenly realized that the water had become shallow and that they were soon on dry land.

They stopped for a break for about twenty minutes. The whole time, Axel attempted to dry out his clothes- to no effect. Xaldin had his own way; he rested his lance against the wall and flapped his arms violently, trying like Axel to dry off. He had better results than Axel did. Roxas, who was mostly dried, just sat down and watched the two. He was tired so he was resting up, because he knew that they still had a long way to go.

Roxas watched Axel for a few moments, and then looked at the ceiling. He watched the water drip down off the ceiling for awhile, until Axel yelled. Xaldin looked down at Roxas and they both exchanged confused looks then they both turned to look at Axel.

A giant spider (which looked like it could be the size of a horse) walked right past Axel. It was very hairy and didn't notice Axel at all as it walked by. Axel stood were he was, sword raised, ready in case it attacked. The spider didn't seam to notice Roxas or Xaldin as it walked straight to the wall. It smashed into it then turned to a different direction until it hit something else. All eyes were on it when it turned. Its whole face was severely burned; as if someone had spilled boiling water all over it its face.

"That's not good," Xaldin said as he watched it bump into a boulder.

"What's not good?" Roxas asked.

"Those burns on the spider,"

"So, what about them?" Axel snapped as he sheathed his sword.

"It seams like it was bitten by a cave viper. Their venom causes damage like that, but a viper would have to be at least fifty feet to leave a mark like that on a spider that big," he said. He began to look around the room, and was still doing so when he started to speak again. "Those burns looked fresh… We'd better get moving, now."

"Good idea," Axel said slowly, and calmly. Axel walked over to Xaldin who picked up his staff. He then bent down and pulled Roxas up. "This cave is more trouble than it's worth."

* * *

All three of them walked very carefully through the rest of this chamber. They had found many sink holes as they moved through it and none of them were looking to fall into one. They did notice that there were no more living things except for the spider, which was now missing.

It didn't take long for them to find out where all the water had gone. It had been forced into a larger, deeper river which flowed right off the cliff to the rest of the chamber two hundred feet below.

"I'm not crossing that river ever again," Xaldin said as he examined it. Axel was also apprehensive about the river. He, like Xaldin, did not like that random experience. Roxas however moved to the waterfall and found that there were many large boulders. All were spaced enough for someone to jump onto them. Roxas looked at the other two. They were both trying to figure out how to get across.

He stood up, and took a few steps back then ran forward and jumped to the first stone. "Roxas!!" Axel roared. Xaldin whipped around as Roxas jumped to the next stone.

"There's a path of stones to the other side!" Roxas yelled after he landed on the third stone. Axel looked at the edge of the falls and spotted the first one.

"There," he said as he hit Xaldin in the arm, "close to the edge."

"It's hard to see with all the mist; you go first so I can follow you," Xaldin said as he squinted to see the first one. Axel shrugged and moved to the edge and back up. He took a few steps at a run, then jumped. The rock was slimy and slippery, and when Axel landed he almost lost his balance. When he looked down, he noticed that the originally clear water was now opaque. Axel spotted the second stone easily and jumped for it so Xaldin could get on the first.

Roxas led the way across the river. They made sure that they were not too far apart so they could easily help each other if something happened. It took a few minutes, but Roxas soon jumped onto the bank. He turned around; Axel and Xaldin were only a few jumps away from where he was. Axel jumped to the rock on the edge of the waterfall and immediately jumped to the next; the footing was better on the last rock than on this edge.

"Careful, that one on the edge doesn't have much room," Axel called to Xaldin. Roxas dodged away as Axel jumped to the bank. He turned to see Xaldin throw his lance over. It landed five feet away from Roxas. The two on the bank looked up to see Xaldin prepare to jump.

Roxas immediately knew that Xaldin was going to fall, and so did Axel who immediately jumped out onto the rocks. Xaldin landed on the small rock. He slipped and fell backwards off the waterfall. Axel jumped onto the rock, then laid on it and leaned forward, off the edge with his hand out stretched.

"Hold on!" he yelled over the waterfall to Xaldin.

"There's nothing else to do but that!" Xaldin called back to Axel. Axel leaned forward some more and grabbed Xaldin's hand, but it was wet and slipped form his grip.

"Xaldin!" Axel yelled as Xaldin's other hand, the one holding the rock began to slip. Axel leaned forward even more, he felt as though he might slip, but he grabbed Xaldin's outstretched right hand with both of his and pulled him up. Roxas watched helplessly on the shore as Axel slid forward on the rock. Some how they both managed to stand on the rock. "Go," Axel said and he pointed to the next rock, so Xaldin jumped to the next stone, then to the bank where he collapsed. Axel laid on the ground next to him when he reached the shore.

"You…should have….left me…" he said in broken speech, and he stood up.

"You don't mean that, and besides you have to report to the king." Xaldin nodded and he helped Axel up.

"Thank you." They both grinned and placed a hand on each other's shoulders. "Let's go," he said letting go of Axel, and retrieving his staff. Then they both walked to the new tunnel and left Roxas behind.

Roxas sighed. "They've only known each other for about a day and they act like they're childhood friends…I wish Axel could understand me like he does Xaldin."

* * *

The new tunnel led to the biggest chamber they had been in yet. It was filled with many stone paths that reached unbelievable heights and depths. They stayed on their path for a long time and only stopped when they reached a split.

"Oh nice!" Xaldin suddenly yelled out and he jumped to the path on the left. "Rock fireflies."

"Really?" Axel asked and he sounded very excited.

"Yeah right here," Xaldin said and he waved to Axel. Roxas, who had no idea what was going on, followed the excited Axel. Floating in the air near and around Xaldin and Axel were many glittering yellow fireflies.

"Wonderful," Roxas said sarcastically, "bugs and they glow in the dark and fly. Fascinating. Now can we go?"

"These are very useful," Xaldin said; he plainly had not heard what Roxas had said. "Especially near battle fields."

"Definitely," Axel added. Roxas looked at Xaldin then at Axel and then back again.

"Would somebody please, explain what the hell is so special about these stupid bugs?!" Roxas suddenly yelled. His angry voice echoed through the cave back at them, then Axel looked down at him.

"Watch," he said simply, and he waved his hands at the bugs. They suddenly glowed in a bright white light. A strange warm kind feeling filled Roxas's body and now he didn't feel tiered or cold. "They heal you and restore your health," he told Roxas kindly.

"That's cool," Roxas said and he looked at his hands. "Can we go now?"

They left the path and continued down the path they had originally been walking on. Every so often, they found the bugs- they also heard hissing, but it would die out before they could figure out where it was coming from. After awhile, Xaldin knew where they were, so they were hopeful about getting out.

They climbed the slippery staircase and came into almost fully sunlit chamber. There were holes in the ceiling that allowed a bit of light to come through, but they couldn't tell if it was moon light or sun light. They could see the light reflecting off the crystal pools that were scattered around the room. At the other end of the room, they could see a small shrine, and the exit not far from it.

"Let's go," Xaldin said strongly, and all three of them ran down the twisting path. Just before the shrine they all stopped dead. The hissing noise had returned and it was as louder than it had ever been. Axel unsheathed his sword, and at the same time, Roxas unsheathed his two swords. There was a crash and all three of them turned to the exit.

A large gray and brown serpent fell to the ground. Its mouth was wide; its front fangs were longer then Roxas was tall. It uncoiled its tail and bent low to the ground.

"Urobolus, the guardian of the cave," Xaldin said, and he swallowed hard. "We have to fight it to get out." Axel turned from Xaldin to the snake.

"Wonderful."

Urobolus lunged, and all three men scattered. Roxas was forced behind a rock. Axel became stuck behind Urobolus and Xaldin found himself in front of Urobolus. It lunged forward, at Xaldin. Axel plunged his sword into Urobolus's side. Urobolus hissed angrily and swung around to Axel. Roxas jumped out from his hiding spot and with all his strength plunged his dulled swords through the serpent's middle part. The serpent rounded on Roxas who was trying to pull out his swords.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled. Xaldin rushed forward at Urobolus and swung his staff across its front; slicing through the tough scales; blood splattered everywhere

Roxas fell back and his swords clanged noisily on the ground; Axel was struck by Urobolus's tail and landed on his back; Xaldin was thrown forward into a shallow pool of water. Urobolus quickly slithered through a tunnel near his shrine. A moment later his head and half his body appeared out of a hole about thirty feet off the ground. Roxas sat up and rubbed the back of his head, then quickly ran out of the way as Urobolus spat a toxic green liquid at him.

Xaldin sat up from the pool, and pulled green slimy plants off his shoulders, then stood up. Axel rolled onto his stomach, and pushed himself up. Once he was standing he looked up and saw Urobolus sticking out of the hole. "How the hell are we going to get him now?" He said as Roxas ran over to Xaldin.

"Now what?" Roxas asked, but Xaldin said nothing.

Suddenly he dropped his lance, ripped one of Roxas's swords from his hand and threw it as hard as he could at Urobolus. "Damn you, you fuckin' serpent!" The sword struck Urobolus in the middle and he slid out of the hole and crashed onto the ground. Xaldin blinked the stared at the serpent. Axel jumped up and forced his sword through the serpent's head, and then looked up at Xaldin and Roxas.

"You have anger issues," Roxas said simply to Xaldin as they walked forward. When they reached the serpent, Axel handed Roxas his sword and the blonde sheathed it next to his other.

"Can we go now, before anything else happens?" Axel said flatly as he sheathed his own sword.

"Let's," Xaldin said, and he moved away from the serpent. Roxas turned and looked at the serpent. He had a strange feeling, a very strange feeling. Urobolus's body twitched and he suddenly reared up. Roxas stepped back.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled and he ran forward along with Xaldin. A ghostly blue light appeared in front of Roxas and it filled the chamber. Xaldin and Axel stopped and covered their eyes; Urobolus cried aloud, a piercing screech, but the light itself made a loud humming noise. Urobolus crashed to the ground and fell dead. The light faded and Roxas fell forward onto his knees. He stared at his shaking hands.

"Wh…What just happened?" He felt Axel's arms around him. He closed his eyed and leaned forward, drained of everything and confused. Axel straightened up with Roxas cradled in his arms.

"What's going on?" Xaldin asked.

"I'm not sure," Axel replied as they began to walk. He looked down at Roxas, whose eyes were closed and was trembling slightly. "I'm not sure."

* * *

Veroxen: Sorry all I haven't had time to work on this with all the tests I been involved in. I hope this was worth the wait but if it isn't no big deal right? Stay tuned for Cy with the next chapter.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Though the group was tense for the next two days, nothing more was said about he strange light that Roxas had somehow manifested. Axel wanted badly to ask Roxas if it had ever happened before, or ask Xaldin if he had ever heard of anything like that. He didn't want either of them to know how worried he was about Roxas by asking, though, so he didn't.

The third morning after getting out of the cave, they finally arrived in Bale. Roxas stared in awe at the capital city, and Axel had to pull him along to keep the blonde from getting lost in the crowd. But, just once, Roxas stopped completely and his eyes glowed from an item on a market stall. Axel had yelled for Xaldin to wait so he had time to pay for the charm necklace that Roxas wanted; he then fastened the chain for Roxas and smiled. He had almost forgotten that Roxas loved key-charms.

So many times since Axel had been reunited with Roxas he remembered the little things about the boy that had once made him depressed about leaving him behind. But it was for the best. Roxas had grown up better than Axel thought he would have had Axel stayed and waited for Roxas to be old enough to join him in his journey.

Axel apologized to Xaldin for keeping him after they caught up. But if the dark-haired man minded, he didn't show it. Xaldin led the two of them through the rest of the crowds and up to Indels Castle. Axel could tell that Roxas was amazed by the size of the castle and wondered if he could take Roxas on a trip to see the castles in Tiberoa and Mille Seseau- the castles there were much bigger, and just being able to see Roxas's reaction to them would make the trip worth all the while.

As they walked through the castle, Xaldin explained what was going to happen in the throne room. "The guards will open the door to the room- do not touch the door, it's insulting to the guards that do that one job," he said, and continued after getting two hums of understanding. "Axel, you'll be on my right; Roxas, my left. Stop when I stop and do not step ahead of me- Master Yen Sid is very picky about keeping rank in His Majesty's presence. Kneel when I kneel, and do not stand up again unless you are invited to by the King, or if I motion for you to."

They stopped outside the throne room's doors, but Xaldin did not give the guards leave to open them. "Also, you will refer to the King as 'Your Majesty.' Avoid arguments in His Majesty's presence, and please don't speak unless you are asked to. Okay?"

Axel and Roxas both nodded and Xaldin motioned for the guards to open the doors. Axel took his place at Xaldin's right side and Roxas stood at Xaldin's left. The doors opened and Xaldin led them forward with a sure stride. They followed Xaldin's orders and stopped and knelt when he did. Xaldin said up to the big chair at the top of the room, "Xaldin Slambert, head of the First Knighthood. I have returned from the field and am ready to receive His Majesty's next orders."

Roxas watched the King stand and walk toward them, down the steps that separated his chair from the rest of the room. King Zexion stood in front of Xaldin and held out his hand. "My friend, your absence was beginning to make me feel uneasy." Xaldin took the King's hand and stood up, and then the King turned to Axel and Roxas and said, "New squires, Xaldin?"

"No, Your Majesty. These are my friends. Allow me to introduce them," Xaldin said, and motioned for Axel to stand, which he did. "This is Axel of Neet. He ventured into Hellena Prison to save his friend and helped me out in the process." Roxas waited for Xaldin to introduce him, which he did after Axel gave a quick bow. "And, Roxas of Seles." Roxas stood and Xaldin continued, "He dealt the finishing blow to Urobolus when we encountered it in Limestone Cave and is very accomplished in First Aid." Roxas bowed like he saw Axel do before, from the waist up.

King Zexion looked at Xaldin thoughtfully. "So, you were in Hellena... Is that why are these young men at your side instead of your second-in-command? Is there no one left in the First Knighthood?"

Xaldin shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. I am all that remains of the First Knighthood, and I would still be in a cell if it wasn't for Axel."

The King looked at the redhead and said, "Your services are greatly appreciated by the Kingdom of Serdio. Please, if there is anything I can do to repay you, name it."

Roxas was confused when Axel looked over at him and smiled sadly. What could he ask for that would make him look like that? Then, Axel made his request. "Would it be possible to keep Roxas safe in this castle?"

_Keep him safe???_ "What???" Roxas seethed before King Zexion could answer.

Axel ignored Roxas's outburst and explained, seeing the look of confusion that Xaldin was giving him and the surprised expression that the King had. "Sandora attacked Seles to take Roxas. They could go for him at any time, and when I think about it-"

"Is this what you brought me here for?" Roxas interceded.

"Roxas," Axel said slowly, "I'm not going to risk loosing you again."

"But you're not _going_ to loose me again. I'm not the kid you left in Seles five years ago- it's a long time, time we lost and can never get back, but..." Roxas finished in a whisper, "I don't want to be separated from you." It was quiet in the room for a moment while Xaldin and King Zexion felt like third and fourth wheels.

"Unfortunately," the King started slowly, "he cannot stay here." Roxas was slightly confused, but smug when he looked over at Axel and saw how angry the redhead was. But, Roxas didn't know half of the fury that Axel felt.

Axel was angry because he knew that royals felt that they were better than the people they ruled just because of their supposed birthright. Was it because Roxas wasn't of royal blood? Roxas was just as good a person as any royal that ever lived in this castle and deserved to be protected, too. _He__ better have a good reason why Roxas can't stay!_ Axel thought.

"Imperial Sandora obtained a dragon and went on the offensive. The battle line is being held in Hoax, but we cannot defend the castle if the dragon directly attacks us." The King shook his head, sighed, and finished with words that sent chills through the room. "There is no safe place left in Serdio now."

Axel's anger dissolved slowly. He had hoped that the castle would be safe; but if it wasn't, then where could Roxas stay safe? He didn't want to take him out of the country, but it seemed to be his only option. "Then, I take back the request," he sighed. "But, might I ask a few questions of Master Yen Sid?"

Roxas followed King Zexion's turning gaze up to the throne and locked eyes briefly with the man at the the throne's right side, dressed in blue robes. King Zexion beckoned the man down, and while he walked slowly towards them, Roxas saw another man at the left side of the throne. This man was dressed completely in black, with only a little bit of his nose, his mouth and chin showing from underneath his hood. He seemed strangely familiar but Roxas couldn't place where he'd seen him before.

When Master Yen Sid stopped beside the King, Xaldin motioned for them to bow again. They were within ten feet of one of the wisest men alive, one that commanded respect from even Royalty; Roxas noticed that King Zexion also bowed. "Ask your questions," Master Yen Sid said.

Axel collected himself quickly. "Can you tell me anything about the Black Monster?"

Master Yen Sid stayed quiet for a moment, and Axel started to think that he had offended him in some way. Then, a phrase. "I can tell you three things about the Black Monster."

Axel sighed quietly. "Please, would you tell me?" he asked. Any information at all, Axel guessed, would be helpful.

"I will," Master Yen Sid said. "The Black Monster is called the devil that disobeyed the great existence. It is known for devouring the god. And, it shows up in history beginning 11,000 years ago."

Any human knew what 11,000 years ago meant. The end of the Dragon Campaign, the war for the freedom of the human race from the Winglies. The Winglies thought they were gods, and so ruled over all living creatures and used them as slaves. The enslaved suffered injustice and terrible domination. Then, Emperor Diaz stood up against the Winglies, seven incarnations of dragons serving as his army. Their bravery inspired people to take up arms against the Winglies, and after a long period of constant war, it was the humans that emerged victorious and the Winglies that suffered the losses.

Unfortunately, the information that Master Yen Sid provided did not help Axel. Great Existence? Devouring the god? Neither made any sense.

A knight came in the room and bowed to each the King and Master Yen Sid. "Excuse me, but it is time for the war meeting to start."

King Zexion nodded, and then turned to Axel and Roxas, and addressed them. "This war will be much harsher for those who no longer have a home to return to. There is a place with a great view next to this room; now would be a good time to think about your future."

Roxas mused, "The view from the castle... Please excuse me." He knelt to King Zexion, bowed again to Master Yen Sid, and left for the balcony without even giving Axel a glance.

The redhead sighed. "He is so hasty. Please excuse me, too." He followed the same procedure as Roxas had, and followed the blonde's path to the balcony. The war meeting began behind him- Xaldin was talking about the attack he had led that had failed because he had underestimated the number of the opposing force. It made Axel uneasy, knowing that the Knighthoods were beginning to fall.

He walked out to the balcony and saw Roxas leaning slightly over the edge, the wind ruffling his blonde spikes. With the noon sun illuminating his face and hair, Axel gasped quietly and adverted his eyes- one could not gaze upon angels without loosing his sanity. The light gave Roxas that added sense of purity that Axel had never seen in anyone else, even through his journey across most of Endiness.

Roxas turned around and smiled at Axel, and the redhead walked slowly towards the younger teen. When they were side-by-side, Roxas turned back to the view and said, "Do you think we could see Seles from here?"

Axel shook his head. "Seles is over the mountain. Besides that, we're pretty far away. Seles would be little less than a dot on the horizon if the ground was flat."

The blonde's smile faltered a little bit. "I hope everyone is safe." Axel put his arm around Roxas's shoulders and pulled the teen to his side. He quickly looked behind him and, seeing no one, lightly kissed the blonde's hair.

"I'm sure they're okay."

"They are." Axel and Roxas turned around and saw Xaldin standing in the balcony doorway. "Most of the people in your village are safe, according to the brief made by a scout." Xaldin walked toward them, and Axel pulled his arm off of Roxas. "It will take time to rebuild the village, though."

Roxas sighed. "Still, that's good. I can meet up with everyone again."

Xaldin shook his head, "But, we have bad news. Sandora is now readying itself to attack us. Intelligence tells us that they plan to use the dragon on an offensive against Hoax."

"If they release that monster in battle..." Roxas gasped.

"There'll be nothing left!" Axel finished.

Xaldin looked past them, at the view of the country. "As the Knighthood, we have to at least try to stop it. I'm heading for Hoax now."

Axel looked down at Roxas, then turned and watched the people of Bale running around the marketplace below him. He had left Roxas and the people he grew up with behind to look for the Black Monster, but when he came back... he almost lost everything again! Axel decided: it was time for him to stop living for himself.

He could start by protecting Roxas.

"Mind if I tag along?"

Xaldin smirked at him, like he knew that Axel was going to ask. "What about the Black Monster?"

"The war has to end first!"

"I'm going, too. I can't stand the war, either," Roxas said.

Xaldin nodded. "Then, we prepare. We'll stock up on necessities, but I have to stop in to see my mother first."

Axel and Roxas followed Xaldin back through the castle. Roxas was happy that he was able to remain at Axel's side for awhile longer. Axel wished that there was another way that Roxas could stay safe; but if Roxas was happy, then he could be, too.

* * *

Xaldin's house was located in the rich district of Bale, but what was Axel to expect? He _was_ a knight, as was his father, apparently. So, not only was he made of money, he had been born into money. Axel couldn't help but feel a little jealous- oh, the things he could provide for Roxas if he were a knight. But Axel wasn't even distantly related to royalty, so there was no way he'd ever be knighted.

The black-haired man led them inside and, once the door had been closed behind them, called out for his mother, "Mom! I'm home!"

A brown-haired woman came out of a joining room to the front hall, smiled at Xaldin, and then put her hands on her hips and said jokingly, "You took your sweet time, huh?"

Xaldin shook his head. "Sandora's resistance was tougher than I thought; but, don't worry. We took down the whole troop."

Her eyes softened. "Your father smiles down on you, I'm sure of it." It was quiet in the room for a quick moment while she seemed to look at Axel and Roxas- but Roxas noticed that her eyes were slightly unfocused. He understood that to mean that her sight was either going or long gone.

She looked at him, and Roxas saw a spark in her eyes. "Xaldin, have you finally decided on a girl?" Xaldin looked very confused for a second, then followed his mother's gaze back to Roxas and gasped.

"Um, no..."

"Oh, don't be shy! What's your name, dear?"

Roxas was suddenly really scared. Should he act the part that Xaldin's mother wants, or tell her that he's not a girl? He looked quickly at Axel and saw the redhead smirking at him. Roxas almost growled at him, and turned back to Xaldin's mother and said, "Roxas."

She looked at the blonde and smiled, not seeming to notice that it was a young man's voice that responded to her question. "Well, that's a strange name, Roxas. But, anyway, Xaldin can be a little awkward and stubborn, but he really is a sweetheart. I'm sure you'll find that he'll make a good husband."

"Mom! Roxas is not..." Xaldin started, then had a very evil idea. "Roxas isn't my girl. _She's_ Axel's." Both of his companions looked at him with confused countenances, but didn't say anything to him.

Xaldin's mother gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said to Axel, believing that she had offended him by assuming that his "girl" was actually Xaldin's. Then, she continued to Xaldin, "Please find someone soon. I don't want to die without holding my grandchild in my arms."

"I'm trying, really," Xaldin said.

"But, you'll stay for the day?"

"Actually, I was sent to defend Hoax. So I have to leave soon."

"Oh, King Zexion won't mind if you stay for lunch at least. It'll be done soon," she said.

"That'd be great, Mom. Axel and Roxas can stay, too, right?" Xaldin asked.

She nodded then turned to Roxas and said, "Could you give me a hand in the kitchen, Roxas?"

"Of course, Lady Slambert," Roxas said, then followed her into the kitchen, leaving Xaldin and Axel behind.

The redhead looked over at Xaldin and frowned. "Why did you go along with her?" Xaldin shrugged his shoulders and said that he didn't know what Axel was talking about. "You didn't bother to tell your mother that _Roxas_ is a _guy_."

Xaldin chuckled, "Neither did you."

Axel could say nothing to that. He should have said something, but the truth was, Axel really wished that they could be something without being looked down on by society. And, that would happen if Roxas _was _a girl. He only sighed and shook his head. "Do you think he hates me for not saying anything?"

His companion laughed once. "Ha. Like Roxas could actually hate you."

Axel smiled at that. Roxas had never been able to stay mad at him, not really.

Xaldin looked over at Axel and said, "Could I show you something?" The redhead nodded and followed Xaldin up the stairs, to the first room on the left- a library. He stayed in the doorway and watched Xaldin push a ladder toward the window. He turned back at Axel and beckoned him, and then climbed up and went out and sat on the roof.

Axel followed him, and sat next to him on the windowsill. Through the trees to their right was a great view of Indels Castle. The tall towers and the pristine white brick walls were shining in the sunlight.

"This is what I saw everyday when I was young," Xaldin said, his face glowing like he was a little kid again. "I grew up thinking, 'I'll be an admired knight just like my father, and I'll protect Serdio!'"

Axel looked over at him and smiled a little. "And you did."

But Xaldin's face fell a little as he answered, "Yes, but the reality was much harder than I imagined back then. I feel all the more strongly how great my father was. To protect this country, I would tear the flesh from my body." He met Axel's gaze and poked the redhead in the chest as he said, "It's the same passion you have towards Roxas."

Axel looked down at his feet, knowing it was true. "I just... can't hold back."

Xaldin put his arm around Axel, like he was telling the redhead the meaning of life. "Because you know the importance of Roxas's life, you can risk your own. You were no foolish daredevil when you ventured into Hellena."

The redhead only scoffed at that.

Xaldin raised his eyebrows at Axel. "You're the only one that can protect Roxas. You understand that, right?"

Axel shrugged. "I guess."

"You're not sure of your own abilities," Xaldin said. "That's why you asked King Zexion if Roxas would be safe in the castle."

Xaldin was exactly right, Axel knew, and he nodded. "I've already hurt him enough for one lifetime. I don't want him getting hurt again."

The older man just sighed. "So, then, the best place for him to be is right next to you, so you can keep an eye on him."

"Food's ready!" A voice called from inside the house.

Xaldin went back down the ladder and waited for Axel to join him. He smiled and turned, saying, "Your 'princess' is calling."

Axel stood, surrounded by hundreds of books, and watched Xaldin go. He looked back at the open window, and wondered if it would be worth it to just leave. Call Xaldin back and tell him that he'll meet him in Hoax. Or, leave without telling Xaldin. The window was open, the opportunity was there. Roxas could stay here with Lady Slambert, maybe get a job as a cleaner in the castle.

After all, the chance of the dragon actually getting to Bale was slim. Roxas would be safe here... right?

But, no. Xaldin was right. Even if he were to leave that little blonde somewhere that was relatively safe, he would always worry. Roxas would only be safe with Axel, in the redhead's eyesight. At least until the war is over. Then, they could go back to Seles and continue where they left off.

They could be happy.

Axel looked back at the window and watched the wind from outside blow it closed. He smiled and headed downstairs for lunch.

* * *

Xaldin stood with Axel and Roxas in the front hall, saying his goodbyes to his mother.

"I want to keep looking for someone," Lady Slambert said. "Happiness will only come to my aging mind once I know that you've settled down with a bride."

"I'll find someone. I promise," Xaldin said. Then, he kissed his mother on the cheek, turned to Axel and Roxas and said, "We need to stock up before he leave. Let's get going."

They left the Slambert House saying quick goodbyes to Lady Slambert before the door closed. As they left the district, Xaldin looked back at his house and suddenly had a sinking sensation in his stomach. Axel put his hand on the man's shoulder and asked him what was wrong.

"I always try to think positively whenever I leave home," he explained. "But, I just have this feeling that my last battle is coming soon." He looked at Axel and continued, "I just hope I can keep my promise before my final duty as a knight is fulfilled."

Neither Axel nor Roxas could say anything, and they left the district.

* * *

Disclaimer: Of course not!

Cy: Sorry for the delay. I just got my inspiration back and this is what came of it. But, yay that I made it within the year, right? Though, I really hate dialogue chapters... whatever.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

After they had their lunch with Xaldin's mother they left the capital city immediately. Time was critical in this mission. They did not know when or if the dragon was going to attack. In their haste they turned what would have been a four day hike to a day in a half hike- by going nonstop. Axel had carried Roxas the last couple of miles; the young teen was already tired from their hike to the capital and around the city.

The Fort of Hoax was a shock. It was a town set on a hill, on the edge of rolling plains and a forest. As they approached, however, it looked nothing like a town. In Axel's opinion, it looked like a prison.

"Was this ever a town?" Roxas asked Xaldin upon entering the said town.

"It was but, the War changed it," Xaldin said with an incline of his head to the gate guard. "The War has changed much of the land, and more of the people." Axel stopped, to stoop down and let Roxas off his back.

Roxas wandered around the streets ahead of Axel and Xaldin. It was amazing and horrifying in the same breath. The tall fifty foot wall cast the shadow of war down on the people and the town's streets. The guard towers were like ever-watching eyes, waiting to see the enemy. The only hope in the whole town was the little church at the top of the hill in the center of the city. Roxas was reminded of the church back in Seles, and his thoughts wandered back to the people. One of King Zexion's knights said that they were fine, but it did not stop him from worrying.

"Roxas! This way!" Axel called as he waved his arms. "We have to report in!" Roxas took another look at the church, then ran over to Axel and Xaldin who began to enter the little inn.

They entered the inn; which no longer was functioning as one. Many different soldiers were in here eating, or talking to each other. They were directed to the back when they walked in.

The back was what used to be the bar. Xaldin yelled to the royal armored man behind to the table, then grinned. The man looked up and cracked a grin. "Xaldin, by the gods, it's good to see you!" the man said as he moved away from the table.

"Good to see you too, Kaiser," Xaldin said as the two men embraced in a swift hug.

"I heard what happened," he said as he looked past Xaldin. "These must be the two who helped you escape?"

"Yes. This is Axel," Xaldin said pointing to each of his companions, "and Roxas."

"The name is Kaiser," he said shaking Axel's hand then Roxas's. "Leader of the Eighth Knighthood," he said warmly. "I'd like to thank you for helping Xaldin, he has been a good friend for a long while."

"Glad to help," Axel said uncomfortably.

"Well now what's the position?" Xaldin asked Kaiser; he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Our position is not good in anyway. Sandora might be attacking with a dragon or without it. Either way, we have to hold the line, as we are the last line of defense for the capital," Kaiser said gravely.

"So it doesn't matter if they are bringing the dragon or not, we are expecting a massive attack from Sandora?" Kaiser nodded and Xaldin sighed.

"Why don't you tour the town, get a feel for what is where," Kaiser suddenly said to Axel. "I have to talk to Xaldin for a bit." Roxas nodded and grabbed Axel's arm.

They left the building quickly. Once outside, Roxas rushed down the street, turned around to face Axel, and then put his hands behind his back in an innocent way. He rocked back and forth waiting for Axel to come to him. He looked so innocent that way. "So where are we going?" Axel asked, and Roxas shrugged.

"No place in particular," he said cheerily. Axel sighed and shook his head as they walked together down a side street. Halfway down the street they were stopped by an elderly woman who offered to give them something to eat and drink.

"You dears look tired and hungry," she said sweetly. She was an old woman, hunched over slightly with white hair which was curled into a bun. Her blue eyes seemed alive and young. "Are you new soldier?" She asked Axel.

"Umm…"

"Yes he is," Roxas said in place of Axel. The woman turned her attention to Roxas.

"It's nice to see the young men standing up to fight for the right." She paused as she sat down in front of the two. "Did you know that I was the midwife to the current king?" Axel looked to Roxas. He had a feeling that this conversation was going someplace he did not want it, but Roxas seemed interested.

"No, really?" Roxas asked as he placed his tea cup on the tray.

"Oh yes," the woman said with a smile in her voice and on her lips. "He is a nice child, he is. Turned out to be the sweetest gentleman there is. He still keeps in touch with me."

"Well that's nice," Axel said trying to sound polite, but Roxas shot him a look that told him to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes it is… you two make a nice couple. Do you need a midwife?" Axel chocked and tried not to spit out his tea and Roxas blushed slightly.

"NO!" Axel blurted.

"Well if you plan on having kids keep me in mind," the woman said politely. Roxas laughed slightly at the look on Axel's face, before he took a sip of his tea.

After they were done touring the town they returned to the inn; the sun was beginning to set over them. They were in luck, as Xaldin and Kaiser were done with their plans.

"Alright," Kaiser said and he clapped his hands together. "Axel? You and Xaldin will take up a post, up on the back wall above the gate. And Roxas, Xaldin said that you know how to cook, so you will stay here." Axel breathed a sigh of relief- Roxas would be safer in here than outside.

When Kaiser was done giving all the orders Axel and Xaldin took their post on the wall. They sat in silence for a while, long after dark.

The owls in the woods hooted loudly, the crickets chirped their musicals, with the other creatures following their lead.

"It's so quiet," Xaldin said.

"Yes," Axel replied. He stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go down and grab something to eat."

"Are you sure that is alright?" Xaldin asked, and Axel nodded.

"Do you hear the owls and the others in the night? Their calls tell us that there isn't anything in the forest. If something does come we'll know."

"Alright than, make sure that you grab me something while you are down there. And Axel!" Axel stopped in mid step and turned back to Xaldin. "Remember that you are the only one who can protect him." Axel nodded and continued down the stairs. He was at the first landing when a horrid chill ran down his spine. The sounds in the forest suddenly stopped, and a eerie silence filled the town. Axel unsheathed his sword.

Arrows pierced the silence. "ATTACK! THE SANDORAS ARE HERE!" Men began to climb over the wall. Kaiser flew out of the Inn.

"Take the wounded! Draw sword and fight to the death!" He yelled drawing his sword. Axel rushed down with Xaldin at his side.

"Basil dogs!" The Sandora soldiers yelled as they rushed forward. Axel griped the sword tight and blocked the sword of his enemy. Sandora soldiers rushed by heading for the inn. Anger flooded Axel. He sliced through the man and ran to the hotel, and began his attack. All he could think of was protecting Roxas.

Xaldin leapt out of nowhere, and tackled one of the soldiers behind Axel. He turned away as blood splashed up from his victim. He looked up to see Axel running up the stairs at a heavily black armored soldier. Axel turned around as Xaldin stabbed another men. "Go ahead! I'll take care of things down here." Axel nodded and continued up the stairs.

"Brave of you to come alone," the elite Sandora soldier said coolly. Axel noticed the blood dripping from his daggers and his arms. Xaldin suddenly took arms next to Axel.

"All set down there," he said simply.

"It makes no difference!" The elite jumped into a straight position with hands together as he chanted some spell. He spun around and then there were three of him.

"Oh shit..." Axel said without meaning to.

"Can you find the real me?" A three said, maniacal laughter following. Axel and Xaldin stole looks at each other then turned back to the elite. The elite copies rushed forward at them. Xaldin raised his lance and blocked one, but Axel lashed out wildly. He made contact but it disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"Xaldin! Hit them to find the real one!" Axel yelled as he waved the smoke away. Xaldin kicked back his and stabbed him on the inside of the leg, where the armor was weakest.

"AH!" The elite yelled in furry. His copies vanished and he jumped back. Axel hurried back to Xaldin. The elite landed then jumped over them and swung a heavy metal chain at their heads. They both jumped away from each other to dodge. Axel fell backwards into the torch, and Xaldin fell backwards down the stairs. Axel shook his head and looked for Xaldin. He spotted him getting up, but the elite was already going for the attack.

Axel knew that he could never reach Xaldin in time so he threw his sword in hopes that it would hit the elite or make him dodge away. It struck the elite in the hip area, and lodged itself in tight. He immediately fell from the air and landed a few feet from Xaldin. Xaldin quickly go up and drove his lance hard through the elite's chest.

He pulled it out of the elite's with extreme difficulty, before walking away from the body. He picked up the sword and handed it to Axel.

"Nice shot." Axel grinned but noticed that Xaldin shook a little. Axel then gripped his shoulder.

"I've got a good aim." Xaldin smiled. Their happy moment was cut short by blood churning screams. Xaldin rushed forward and turned the corner with Axel at his side.

A man much taller than most of the men in the battle raised his massive tomahawk, and wielded it like it was a feather. He easily sliced through the flesh of the knighthood men, and his own men.

"Lexaeus," Xaldin said, almost gasping. "Sandora's most ruthless fighter." Lexaeus wore the black colors and armor on his pants but wore no shirt. Instead what seemed like chains crossing his chest connecting at a large metal ring in the center of his chest. The chain seemed to be for holding the tomahawk on his back.

"Who is he?" Axel asked sounding lost.

"He is a human who was raised by Gigantos. The giant people. His strength matches theirs." All men, whether Sandora or Knighthood scattered at his presence. Axel and Xaldin noticed this too late, because Lexaeus had made them his next targets.

"You are not afraid?" He asked and Axel raised his sword. "Then you will die!" He ran at them with startling speed. Xaldin rolled by him and attempted to cut through his side but missed. Axel however ran out of the way. At this moment Lexaeus was much more destructive than the dragon. Axel hid behind a fallen stone, but this did not stop Lexaeus. He brought the tomahawk down and sliced through the stone.

How could they stop him? He was fast, strong and could make them into pig scraps if they got too close. Xaldin jumped down from a building and sliced through Lexaeus's back. He turned not knowing that anything had happened. Xaldin jumped up for another attack, but Lexaeus grabbed him by the throat and threw him down the street. Axel ran forward and yelled, jumped and brought his sword down at Lexaeus. The man grabbed Axel and then the sword. He held Axel up in the fire light to get a better look at him as he tossed the sword. He tossed Axel down in the street a few feet away, and picked up his tomahawk.

Axel turned over eyes wide and fixed on the raised weapon. Something flickered in the sky, a bright streak.

The woman's face was hard-set, determined to fight; her sword was ready. The clear dragon-like wings were extended back in full speed, and she shot right at Lexaeus. Her sword did the talking as she pushed Lexaeus back. Her purple and black armor protected her from the flames from the burning builings that licked her body. Roxas came flying out of the inn, but stopped when he saw the woman in strange armor.

"Wake up! Spirit of the Red Eyed Dragoon!" Something red glowed under Axel's shirt. He stood up as the shock filled him. The light and fire engulfed his body. He felt strong, stronger than anything in the world- stronger than a dragon. The metal seemed to fuse with the flames and he threw open his wings and shot into the air.

As he flew the red flames grew stronger and brighter. He dived, gathering full speed and slammed into Lexaeus, then dispelled the flames around him. The blood-red armor covered his body, and his wings beat slowly until he touched the ground. He saw Lexaeus and drew back his right hand. Fire ignited, and burnt in his hand. It grew warm as it dripped from his hand. He drew back his other hand in the same way. He could make fire. Lexaeus raised his tomahawk to chest level, ready to fight. With all his might, Axel thrust the flames forward, and combined them into a massive fire ball. Without meaning it, and as if he had known this power and spell all along he yelled. "FLAME SHOT!" The fire ball gathered speed and exploded on impact with Lexaeus and his weapon.

The giant man was thrown back into the wall which cracked on impact. The Sandora men fled with screams of horror. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Axel. The smoke rose elegantly from his hands, as his eyes watched the fleeing men.

_"The dragoons were the reincarnations of dragons... Defeating the winglies.... Beings stronger than humans, beings of legend..." _These words echoed in Axel's head, and held no meaning to him. He felt weak.

Paine landed neatly next to Axel's left side, no longer in her dragon-like armor. Axel's head began to spin.

"What on earth? What the hell are you?" Xaldin said with shock.

"Axel…" Roxas gasped.

Axel turned to the group as the light glowed again on his chest, and the armor vanished. "Roxas is safe," he muttered. His knees hit the cold ground, but he was unaware. He looked up at the bloody sunrise, and then everything went black.

* * *

Was he dead? Darkness everywhere, pain in his body? No. He was laying on his back... or was he standing up? His body pulsed like he was laying on a trampoline and with somebody jumping on it. In the darkness, bodiless voices spoke. _Roxas,_ he thought, and the name spread through the empty void like wild fire.

"Who are you?! What are you to Axel?!" Axel's heart filled with joy and his body regained life. Roxas was safe, unharmed. But there was something in his heart and body. He had felt the power of a dragon.

* * *

**Veroxen**: Hey sorry for the hold up. I've just got done with Softball, and finals. Most weeks I've had three to four games. Anyways This had more action then the last chapter and I hope the fans liked it. About the midwife scene, Cy wanted it in so I tried to put it in best I could. Sorry if that spot flopped. So Axel has got the first taste of the dragoon. Finally this story is going someplace. Anyways enough of my ranting. We don't own LOD or KH, you people should understand this by now. Stay tune for Cy with the next chapter.

P.S If you think you know what we are doing Character wise YOU'RE WRONG! And I'll prove it. Bye


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Axel woke up to an ice-cold, wet cloth being dabbed at his face. It felt so nice; and at the same time, it was unimaginably painful. The cold felt nice, but the water burned on his skin- he'd never felt this before. He opened his eyes and saw Xaldin sitting at his side, dipping the cloth again in the bowl of water next to him. Axel could _smell_ the ice in the water, and the cold made his nose twitch.

_Wait a second… I'm smelling ice… How…?_

"I should be thanked, and yet I'm being yelled at," a woman said, Axel guessed she was standing at the foot of his bed.

"Tell me, what did you do to him???" Roxas said, also at the foot of his bed.

Xaldin looked over to the two and said, "Cut it out! Both of you!" Then he looked down at Axel and saw the green eyes of his companion; Xaldin gasped. "Oh! You're awake."

A weight was on his other side instantly, and Roxas's arms were around his neck and the teen's face was buried in his chest. "I was so worried…" the blonde whispered.

Axel lifted his arm and put it around Roxas's back, pulling him to his side briefly, then sat up in the bed. He was in the upper floor of the inn/headquarters building. There were nine other beds, none of which were occupied- Axel guessed that the dead were already buried and the wounded were being tended to elsewhere. He focused on the woman at the end of his bed- black leather clothes and a purple choker, with a gem in the middle. Her hair was short and white and her eyes were red, maybe from lack of sleep.

She didn't seem the type to sleep.

"You…" Axel said.

"Me," she said.

"You are…"

"Paine. Nice to see you again."

Roxas looked up to Axel and then to Paine, and then asked, "You know her?"

"I saved his-"

"I want to hear it from Axel," Roxas snapped.

Axel looked down at Roxas and frowned. "Roxas, don't cut people off. You're mom would have killed you five years ago, especially if you had cut off a lady." Roxas turned away from him and Axel nuzzled the blonde's hair. "But, she's right. She's saved my life twice now. Thanks to her, I was able to make it to Seles."

"Then, Paine was the one who saved you from the dragon?" Xaldin asked.

"Yeah," Axel said, "and I never got to thank you for it."

Paine nodded. "You're welcome, but I don't need thanks."

"Why are you here?" Roxas asked, his tone no longer condescending. He seemed to have cooled down after Axel talked to him. Besides that, Axel was nice and warm- warmer than usual, and it was very soothing.

"You have a very interesting artifact. The Spirit of the Red-Eyed Dragon," Paine said, pointing to the necklace that Axel had tucked under his shirt. Axel pulled the gem out, and immediately, it started to glow a bright red. Everyone in the room, except for Paine, had to turn away because it was so bright. The gem on Paine's choker glowed a very dark purple along with the red light, and soon both lights died down to pale colors, then finally, they both stopped.

Axel put the necklace back under his shirt and looked at Paine. "So, what's with the light?"

"From the moment the light shines, you have to accept your fate as a Dragoon. Like me," Paine said. "You 'deserve' to rule dragons. The light proves it."

"So, you saved Axel because you knew from the beginning?" Xaldin asked.

Paine shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed. "No, no I didn't. I had a good feeling that he had the potential to be a Dragoon, but I didn't know." Roxas was about to say something- probably something mean and nasty- when Paine continued, "However, if I hadn't tried, he'd be dead right now."

None spoke for a minute, the men all thinking about what Paine just said. She had changed Axel's fate to save him, but was it worth it? Roxas had never heard of Dragoons, and neither had Axel. Both wondered what this would do for their future.

Xaldin, however, had heard of Dragoons before, and said, "You know things no normal human would know. Why, and how did you come across such knowledge?"

"It's better than ignorance, isn't it?" Paine said, crossing her legs at the knee and leaning back across Axel's outstretched legs.

"There's a story in a legend that I heard from Master Yen Sid once. The people who led Humans to victory in the Dragon Campaign, they were the Dragoons," Xaldin said.

"And maybe, someday, I'll tell you the real stories from that time," Paine said.

"It was 11,000 years ago," Roxas said. "You can't know what really happened." Paine just smirked at him.

They were interrupted by a call outside. "Is Sir Kaiser in here??? The Seventh Fort is under strong attack by Sandora and is requesting backup!!!" Xaldin, not wasting any time, ran out of the room, followed by Axel and Roxas; Paine followed slowly, obviously not caring much who was under attack or what they needed.

They saw Kaiser outside talking to the reporting soldier. "The Seventh Fort in the Marshland is under the fierce attack from the Dragon. Due to that, the Tenth and Thirteenth Knighthoods are almost overwhelmed," the soldier reported.

Kaiser asked, "Where did it come from?"

"The forest from over the Volcano Villude," the soldier reported.

Xaldin, Axel, Roxas, and Paine all stood to the side of Kaiser, and Xaldin shook his head and folded his arms. "If we don't defeat the dragon, we don't have a future," he said.

Kaiser nodded. "Summon the rest of the Knights. We will assault the dragon's nest," he said to his second-in-command, and the soldier took three steps away from the group when Paine spoke up.

"The Knighthood has the advantage of numbers, but they are only human. Humans cannot defeat a Dragon. If it continues, Basil will be annihilated," she said.

Xaldin turned to her, an angry gleam in his eyes. "We won't know until we try!"

"Do you think a wasted death is honorable or something?" she snapped. Then, she looked at Axel and took a step forward. "Dragoons, however…"

It clicked. Xaldin looked at Axel and had a thought- Basil had the weapon it needed to fight the dragon now. "That's right!" he said, "Dragoons have the power of dragons, and so could fight against one, right?" Paine nodded.

Axel, however, still looked unsure; but Roxas looked even more worried than Axel did, even though he knew he would not be much help if they were to fight the dragon. The most he would be able to do would be to stay out of the Dragoons' way while they fought. Roxas had a bad feeling that Axel would ask him to stay in Hoax while they went to the nest and attacked the dragon.

"I'm not sure," Axel said, "the one time I fought as a dragoon, I passed out afterward. How much help would I be if I can't even stand up after fighting one battle?"

All the men around him nodded and started to think; a dangerous habit they had, but still necessary. Xaldin came up with the idea that he just transform a couple times before they leave, but no one liked it- it would take too long. No other man came up with an idea, so Pain sighed and said, "I'll teach you how to be a Dragoon."

Kaiser liked the idea, but told them that they couldn't train in the town; they would have to leave the fort for training. Paine told them that wasn't a problem, and demanded that they go immediately, for they had little time to waste. Roxas and Xaldin wanted to watch, and Paine agreed. They left for the south fields within twenty minutes.

* * *

Paine stopped Roxas and Xaldin a little ways out, saying that because Axel is a young dragoon- and of the fire element- that his transformations will be dangerous to be around for the first few times. Axel apologized, and Paine waved him off. "After today's training, they'll be able to be closer. After a day of being Dragoon, you'll find it's much easier to control your power," she said as they walked closer to the center of the field.

When they stopped, she turned to him and told him to transform. "How?" he asked, and Paine explained.

"There is a fire inside you, the fire of the Red-Eyed Dragon," she said. "You have to release that power. Remember that you are a Dragoon- you do not ask the dragon for anything. You _are_ the dragon, and you do with that power whatever you want. Now, reach inside yourself and find that fire."

Axel felt silly, and closed his eyes to think. He didn't think it would work, but almost instantly, he felt an immense heat buildup in his stomach. "I think I found it!" he yelled, and doubled over; it was starting to burn and hurt.

"Release it! Let it go, let go of the control!" Paine called to him, already running back. The grass around Axel was starting to burn and she was afraid of a fire starting. _Perhaps_, she thought, _the field was not the best place to train him_. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called, "Become the dragon, Axel!"

Axel closed his eyes and a cylinder of fire roared up from his feet. Roxas and Xaldin covered their eyes and eventually had to turn away. Paine repositioned her feet so she had a more steady footing, and then it all stopped- the fire died down, and the wings and armor that Axel had the previous night were back. Axel didn't even touch the ground, but hovered by the single beating of his wings every few seconds.

Now that it was daytime, the features of the new Dragoon were easier to see. The gem that Axel had on a necklace before was now imbedded in his chest armor and glowing softly. His hair, before already a bright, obnoxious red, now seemed like it was just an extension of a flame. There was a fire in his eyes that Roxas could see even from the distance. It was obvious that Axel was under all that armor, but there were the few differences that made Roxas wonder if it really was him.

Paine smiled. "How do you feel?" she called from her spot.

Axel looked at her and smirked. "I feel like I could take on anything!"

She closed her eyes, and a dark aura surrounded her and lifted her off the ground. When the darkness dissipated, Paine hovered with wings and armor similar to Axel's in that spot where she was standing. Her armor was slightly different in that it shaped its way around her hips and had more bulk in the chest. Also, it was the dark color of the aura that was surrounding her before- a deep violet. Her boots also went up past her knees, whereas Axel's stopped just before.

Paine leaned forward and shot toward Axel, who then shrank back with his arms in front of his face. He wasn't expecting to move backwards or have his wings push him away from the attack like they had a mind of their own; so, he gasped. Paine stopped where he had been before (he was now over twenty feet away) and smiled. "Flying," she said, "is the technique that allowed the Dragoons to fight the winglies effectively. You've already figured it out- basically just like walking, isn't it?"

Axel nodded, and then looked up. "Except, there're more directions you can go," he said. Roxas heard the smile in his voice and Xaldin folded his arms, intrigued by the flying. Axel floated upwards a little then came back down and touched the ground.

Paine flew over to him slowly, saying, "The next thing you're going to want to learn is how to use simple spells. You used one last night, _Flameshot_, but with practice you'll be able to just use your fire without having to call a spell." She touched her toes to the ground, looked to the forest and nodded. "There is a creature in the forest. Do you see it?" Axel looked over to the forest and saw a buck padding near the edge of the woods, and he nodded. "Burn it," Paine said.

Axel shook his head. "No. There's gotta be a different way to train than to kill an innocent creature."

Panie looked over to where Roxas and Xaldin were and sighed. She didn't want to have to do this, but it's not like she hasn't before. "Axel," she said to get his attention. The redhead looked over to her and saw her arm outstretched and pointing to his friends. He floated a little closer to her and asked her what she was doing. "If you don't burn the buck, the blonde will get hurt," she warned.

Axel sneered at her. "No, you won't," he ground out through his teeth. His tone, though, dared her to try. She shrugged, and a mass of darkness formed at her palm. Axel's wing started twitching, and Xaldin pulled Roxas behind him, fearing what was going to happen.

Then, she released the darkness, and it was a race between the energy and Axel to get to Xaldin and Roxas. Axel saw that he was losing almost immediately, outstretched his hand and threw a fireball at the darkness at an angle; it knocked the energy off its course, and veered off to the right. Axel kept going- he had a feeling that Paine would be sending more- and stopped in front of Xaldin and Roxas. He turned around and saw more attacks from Paine shooting toward them, and he shot fireballs at them until they stopped coming.

He had a clear shot of Paine, and he formed a large fireball in his left hand and readied it to throw. Axel felt the burning again, like when he had transformed earlier that day, and he felt a snarl creep up and out of his throat. Paine was smiling triumphantly, like she had won her prize, and held up both of her hands to try and signal to him that she wasn't going to attack anymore.

Axel felt it was a waste of firepower to just let the ball dissipate, and so instead threw it up into the sky and watched it become part of the air. He turned to Roxas and Xaldin and asked if they were alright, and only after getting two nods, flew back over to Paine.

"I would say that you have perfect control of your magic now; or, at least, we can count on you to protect Xaldin and Roxas," Paine said. She then held her right hand out at her side, and the darkness formed again. Axel tensed and felt the beginning heat of a fireball in his left hand.

But, the darkness was not a spell, it formed itself into a rather long blade, one she held out to the side behind her and almost dragged on the ground when she hovered. Axel tilted his head to the side, and she explained. "The only other part of Dragoon training is fighting with your weapon. The dragon will give you a weapon depending on what it thinks you'll be best with, and you have to accept the weapon you're given, even if you think it's not appropriate for you or you hate it," Paine nodded to Axel and told him to hold out his hands. "Reach deep and find your weapon, Axel."

Again, he felt silly, but he closed his eyes and held out his hands. The vision of when he had been wandering in the far north flashed through his mind- then his hands started to burn, and the fire formed around them, and focused into his new weapons. He smiled when he saw what the dragon had picked for him. His weapon of choice: chakrams.

"Perfect," he muttered happily. Paine readied her stance and called to him to prepare quickly. Then, she came at him, and they spent the rest of the day fighting in the sky while Xaldin envied them and Roxas was amazed.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Paine decided that Axel was fit to call himself a Dragoon, and the Eighth Knighthood held a small dinner for the victories to come. Axel enjoyed his food but couldn't stay through the dinner for very long- Paine had been a good teacher and worked him hard. He had thought that the strength he felt during his first transformation was immense, but it was nothing compared to what he felt now as a trained Dragoon.

He turned in early and went upstairs to the room he and Roxas and Xaldin were sharing, and found Roxas sitting near the window. The blonde had a far-away look, staring out and watching Hoax celebrate their new weapon; Axel stood behind him and rested his chin on the blonde's head, wrapping his arms around Roxas's chest.

Roxas sighed. "You're gonna ask me to stay here, aren't you?"

"No," Axel said, then blew blonde locks around a little and revised his answer. "I don't want to; I'd rather you just stay here without me asking."

"Hmm... Maybe I should," Roxas whispered.

Axel shook his head. "You're serious?"

"I was watching while you trained today, Ax," Roxas said. "I'll never be able to help when you and Paine fight like that. Even Xaldin is above the help I'd be able to offer." He crossed his arms and sunk into his seat. "I'd probably be more help here."

Axel knelt in front of the blonde's chair and held the teen's chin with one hand. With his other, he let a little flame dance among his finger and watched as Roxas's eyes followed the little flame with amazement- this was one of the tricks that Paine made sure he could before the afternoon was over (this way, the party would always have a reliable source of light and heat while in the wilderness).

"You have a talent, Roxas," Axel said. "Just like this little flame provides heat and light all in one, you do things that not even an experienced fighter can do." Roxas scoffed and muttered a little _whatever_ and Axel let the fire fade away, and then made Roxas look at him. "What if I get hurt while traveling? Xaldin's okay, and Paine probably knows what to do about that kind of shit, but you'll take action immediately, and without even having to know exactly what happened. It's that kind of talent that makes you so valuable to have at my side, Roxas," Axel said, and smiled at the blonde.

But, the blonde did not smile back. "Paine could probably use magic to heal you," he said. "I'm limited to what I have on hand."

Axel laughed once, and then said, "Roxas! You know what plants to use for healing anything, and you are so resourceful you don't need to have more than a little rope- and even then, you could find something to substitute for it!" He brushed his fingertips across the blonde's cheek and rubbed lightly at a smudge of dirt. "I couldn't ask for a better partner, Rox," he said. "You don't need to pretend to be strong, Roxas. You can rely on me more- like in the old days."

Finally, Roxas smiled a little and nodded- Axel's own broadened and he stood up and sat on the windowsill. He was happy that Roxas was done brooding and now they could look toward morning with positive thoughts and then, when the war is over, Axel could finally tell Roxas just how he felt and _they_ could be together.

"So, you want me to come with you now?" Roxas asked. "You didn't want me to back at the castle," he explained, seeing Axel's eyes shine with confusion- _hadn't they just finalized that he did?_

But, no. Roxas needed Axel to say it all out loud, which was reasonable; no one could read minds. Axel closed his eyes. "I don't want you to be in danger. But, it seems to be that danger follows you wherever you go, so the best way to keep it away would be to keep you close," Axel said, his good mood from before subdued. "Yes, I want you to come."

Roxas scoffed. "I'm such trouble, aren't I?"

Axel gave the blonde a very menacing look. "Quite the trouble, yes..."

Roxas stood up and backed up, remembering this game from when he was ten. He smiled and Axel could feel the happiness radiate from the blonde and it pulled him closer. Then, he pounced and pushed Roxas back on the bed behind him, climbed on top of the blonde and pinned his arms to his sides.

Then, the tickling began. The blonde's laugh was loud and pure and _Roxas_ and Axel didn't want to stop _just because_ the blonde was beginning to tear up and beg him to stop the torture. "You're gonna have to beg harder than just 'stop, stop, please,' Rox," Axel said as he continued to move his fingers along the blonde's sides.

"A-Axel! Stop it! Get off!" But, it wasn't very convincing because the blonde was laughing through each word.

"No!" Axel said with conviction, sitting harder across the younger teen's hips and tickling the blonde even more.

But, soon after that, the door creaked open and Xaldin walked in, took one look at the two on the bed, shook his head, and left the room. Axel and Roxas both watched at the knight did this (Roxas, of course, crying from laughing so hard) and then laughed even more at the expression on Xaldin's face as he left.

Axel fell to Roxas's side and put his head down on the blonde's shoulder. "He ruined the fun..."

Roxas smiled and laughed and agreed. "He did, but it's a good thing; I was having a hard time breathing at the end," he said.

"You always used to love that," Axel muttered after a deep yawn.

Roxas nuzzled the redhead's spikes and said, "I don't remember you ever tickling me so hard, though." He waited a moment for Axel's reply, but the older man was already asleep. Roxas smiled and closed his eyes, deciding to sleep as well.

Xaldin walked back in when the dinner was over and after making sure that Paine had a bed and her own room. The sight of Axel sprawled over Roxas, snoring softly, and Roxas returning the awkward embrace was more than slightly amusing, and Xaldin only shook his head while he laid down on his own bed and went to sleep.

Then, he wondered while he stared at the ceiling- how often had those two shared a bed like they were right now? Their affection for each other was obvious to Xaldin, but Axel was oblivious to Roxas's admiration of him; though, Roxas was no better at seeing how much Axel cared.

Xaldin fell asleep, wishing that tomorrow would not come, that the war would end on its own. But, most of all, wishing he hadn't gotten Axel and Roxas into his affairs- what if one of them were to die? If Axel died, poor Roxas would have no one left; when he had told Roxas how Seles was doing, he left out the tender detail that both of the blonde's parents were now dead. If Roxas fell, Axel would have no one left to live for.

They needed each other. He prayed to the gods that they both be protected in the coming battles. He implored protect for everyone around him, but forgot himself.

* * *

The sun rose on Hoax, and Paine was waiting near the gate to the town while Axel, Roxas, and Xaldin walked toward her. She pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning on, and beckoned them forward.

Silently, they trekked toward the Marshland, the Seventh Fort, and dragon beyond it all. Xaldin and Paine walked beside each other in front of Axel and Roxas. Roxas was under instruction from Axel to defend himself, but let Paine and Axel take care of most of the danger. Xaldin had taken an oath to Axel to protect Roxas if it turned out that Axel couldn't do the job himself or Roxas began to have problems.

Paine, of course, didn't have orders other than to fight the Sandoran soldiers. But, she knew she would have to keep an eye on Axel to make sure the new-born Dragoon stayed strong.

Then, the Marshland was around them, and they knew that the Seventh Fort was soon to be in front of them. Continuing forward, Paine started to feel her Dragon's spirit twitch with the coming battle; Axel was suddenly having a hard time keeping the fire inside.

Clashing of blades and spears was what alerted them to the fighting, and Roxas pulled his two swords out from the sheaths at his sides, and Xaldin slid his spear off his back. Paine looked back at Axel and they nodded to each other. The Dragoons sprouted their wings and flew into the battle.

Axel felt his chakrams appear in his hands, and he swung at a Sandoran with his right hand, and then stabbed the soldier for good measure with his left. He let both of them become wheels of fire and threw them at a group of soldiers, cutting through three and lighting the other seven on fire. When the chakrams came back to his hands, he leaned forward and rushed the seven, feeling a new spell coming. He stopped before them and did a handstand, feeling the spell, "_Explosion!_" The ground underneath the seven soldiers erupted and then, there was nothing left of the patrol.

Paine, at the same time, was dealing with two more patrols. Her rapier slicing every way, the soldiers didn't even know what hit them until they were bleeding and their intestines were spilled on the ground, dissolving the moss they were previously standing on. When one soldier managed to hit her left wing, she turned around and felt her own spell rise out of her being. _Astral Drain_, she thought, and the poor soldier died instantly, a stream of his life and power going to Paine. The others soldiers around her backed up, not wanting to be on the receiving end on whatever she just did to their comrade.

Xaldin and Roxas were back to back, attacking any soldiers able to get past the Dragoons- there weren't many, so it was simple. One, Roxas would stab both his swords into the charging soldier (because they never learned and always charged at them). Two, Xaldin would swing his spear around and cut through the soldier's throat. Three, Roxas would throw the dead to the side and then, wait for the next one to receive the same treatment.

Once, though, a commander came at Xaldin first, and swung at the knight's middle. Xaldin blocked the attack, and Roxas turned around and blocked a counterattack on Xaldin's other side. Then, the commander stabbed at the blonde, but Xaldin pushed the attack away. Roxas rolled and then swung at the commander's feet, clipping his ankel and causing the commander to turn his attention away from trying to turn Xaldin into a kabob.

The commander kicked Roxas's right sword out of the blonde's hand and, believing he now had the upper hand, swung around in a circle to cut back Xaldin's charging attack. Xaldin, now knocked back with a slice in his stomach, was out of the battle and could only swing at the coming patrol officers trying to poke him with their daggers and/or spears.

Roxas rolled his eyes as the commander started to show off by passing his sword between his hands. Finally, the commander came at Roxas with the sword back in his dominant hand- the right. Roxas's sword was in his left hand, and when the commander was close enough, he side-stepped and brought the hilt down on its back, then turned the sword around and stabbed through the commander's armor. _Thank you, Kaiser, for giving me new swords,_ Roxas thought as he pulled the sword out of the body.

He looked around. The battle was over; all the Sandorans had either been killed or ran away. Axel and Paine were taking care of one last patrol, but Roxas went over to Xaldin and pulled the man out of the pile of dead bodies around him- Xaldin's own work, even while injured. The slice wasn't particularly deep, but Roxas was sure it hurt like a bitch; every time he passed around it with the roll of gauze, Xaldin hissed and groaned. It took three full rolls before Roxas was satisfied that the wound wasn't going to bleed through, then he pressed his hand to Xaldin's middle and imagined the wound healing quickly: a trick that his mother had taught him.

Roxas helped Xaldin get his armor back on and stand up, just as Axel and Paine both were coming back from their survey of the fortress. Axel shook his head as they approached. "We were too late. There are no survivors."

"The Tenth Knighthood is no more," Paine said.

Xaldin hung his head. "Did they suffer?"

Axel sighed. "The dragon's breath is poisonous. Those that didn't have clear wounds from fighting died from the poison."

"The poison stops their heart," Paine said. "The method itself is not painful, but death in general always hurts. They may not have suffered, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant death."

They stood silent for a moment, and then Xaldin nodded. "We have to continue on. The dragon must be slain."

"Over the villude, then?" Roxas asked, and got three nods. Xaldin walked out from under his arm and made it five paces before Axel rushed to him and caught the man. Roxas went over to where his right-hand sword was laying, and sheathed it beside his other sword. Paine and Axel didn't carry any weapon at their sides, having decided in Hoax that the only way they will fight will be as Dragoons. But, now Axel had Xaldin's spear over his own back as he helped Xaldin walk.

Paine took the lead by herself, with Axel and Xaldin walking close behind her. Roxas stood to the back, wondering what Axel would do if both Xaldin and he were hurt at the same time. Who would he carry? He stopped thinking on that, knowing that Axel would stop the group from moving forward.

The Seventh Fort was safe, but it didn't even matter because of the lack of soldiers to inhabit it. Now, they were going to fight a dragon, and Roxas knew the possibility of him having to stand back while Axel died fighting was more than reasonable. Roxas prayed silently that Axel stayed safe while fighting the dragon.

* * *

Disclaimer: Lol. Us? Owning Kingdom Hearts? Or Legend of Dragoon? That's funny...

Cy: I hate this chapter. I think it sucks. But, the next one will be better because Veroxen will be writing it.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Axel looked around at the thinning trees. They had first walked through massive wooded areas and now they were coming into a swamp. A day's travel from the Seventh Fort had not brought them any closer to where they were supposed to be. He sighed as they stopped for a break. Xaldin was still hurting from the wound that he had previously received. Axel helped Xaldin sit on a dry log and then looked around. They were getting nowhere.

Roxas watched Paine, Axel and Xaldin argue about where they were going. Both men were convinced that they were lost, but Paine was sure that they were going the right way. Roxas sighed and walked around the water's edge. He looked at a particularly large tree, it looked very familiar. He decided to examine it, so he wandered around the water, still listening to the three argue. As he examined the tree he soon found out that he had seen the same tree several times that day.

Roxas glanced back at Axel. "I think we are lost," he said and pointed to the tree. "I've seen this tree at least five times in the last three hours." Axel who had stopped in mid sentence raced over to Roxas and examined the tree himself, followed by Paine who walked over.

"I think you're right Rox…" He rounded on Paine. "So you know where you are going?" Paine turned away and looked at the area around them.

"Something isn't right." She turned to Roxas. "See that path there?" Roxas nodded. "Run down it."

"No!" Axel yelled.

"Do it Roxas," Paine said and she reached to her necklace. Roxas turned and ran down the path against Axel's wishes, but something odd happened. They turned to Xaldin and saw Roxas suddenly come out of the bushes. "So it's true." She waved to Axel to follow her back to Xaldin and Roxas.

"What just happened?" Roxas asked Paine. "I was running down the path, and there were trees in the way, and then I ended here."

"Something is here that I don't like," Paine said. "It feels so familiar, but I know that it cannot be real." She said this to herself, not the others. "It is impossible that one is here. They were wiped out." She touched the stone on her necklace, then said to the others, "We will stop here for the night."

"What?" Xaldin asked, but Paine walked away without another word.

* * *

Xaldin leaned back against the mossy tree he was sitting under. The fire cracked warmly a few feet away. It was interesting when Axel first started it. He had entertained him and Roxas by molding it into different shapes, sizes and colors. It was good practice for Axel and a way for him to vent the fire inside of him.

Now the two were laying with each other under the roots of an old tree. For some reason his heart fluttered when he looked at them. It was so pleasant to see that even in the midst of a war that there were people who still had hope and love. He folded his arms, closed his eyes and sighed.

He had a feeling that he would never find someone to spend his life with. The battle at the Seventh Fort had awoken him. He was only human, and it meant that he could die. All throughout the war he had thought himself immortal, invincible but now seeing everything- Hellena, Axel and Roxas, the Seventh Fort and Hoax- he had finally realized what truly was going on.

Soft, almost un-hearable footsteps alerted him and he sat up straight and opened his eyes, only to see Paine. He regretted sitting up that fast and leaned back against the tree.

"So how was your walk?" he asked. "Did you find what you needed to find?"

"There is something strange going on here," she said and took a seat next to him.

"Yes you mentioned that earlier. You were talking about something being wiped out long ago…"

"It's nothing," she said simply. "But what is going on here isn't. I tried to fly out of the area, but I always ended up at the same point."

"Where?"

"A path that leads in the direction of the Volcano." She looked at Xaldin. "Every path leads to the same place." She stood up and walked towards the muddy water of the swamp.

Xaldin shrugged knowing that she wasn't going to speak anymore. She only talked to Axel, because he was a Dragoon. It was sort of annoying. Axel and Roxas shifted, but Xaldin didn't look at them. His mind was on Paine and what was making her a little uneasy. Could it be the dragon? Or was it something else?

* * *

The next day both Paine and Axel wandered around the swamp, but the results were the same. The either ended up at the swamp or at the path leaning to the volcano.

"I think we should go to the Volcano," Axel said. If something was waiting for them, and causing this, then they had to defeat it.

Axel walked closely behind Xaldin who was behind Paine. Roxas was at his side, and had his right hand over the handle of one of his swords. "Are you okay Roxas?" He looked up at the red head.

"Something just doesn't seem right, Axe."

"What are you talking about?" Axel laughed.

"It feels like what happened in the cave." Axel looked down at Roxas and his cheerful demeanor vanished. Roxas suddenly grabbed Axel around the middle and the two of them stopped. "We have to go back Axel, we have to!" he cried. Paine and Xaldin turned to them and stopped.

"Roxas! What's wrong?" Axel said sounding shocked as he threw his arms around Axel.

"We can't go any further. The creature ahead…It's calling, its voice hurts..." He sank to his knees and Axel knelt in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Paine asked and she pushed Xaldin out of the way. "We have to keep going."

"No we can't! Not with Roxas in this state," Axel said angrily at Paine. "He's not well…Roxas we'll go back okay?"

"It's calling," he whispered. "Calling out for help, for life." Roxas jumped up and ran up the path.

"ROXAS!" Axel yelled and he ran after him followed by Paine and Xaldin.

* * *

Roxas pushed the low tree branches out of the way. He could hear Axel and the others trying to find him, but the voice was calling him. It was strange and it hurt, but he needed to know. There was a small clearing ahead and a strange statue in the center.

He walked out into the clearing and looked up at the massive gray stone creature. It's voice was soft and echoing. He walked closer and closer to it.

"Roxas! Roxas come here!" Axel yelled as he raced forward. Roxas turned to Axel, but looked back at the creature and stretched out a hand to touch it.

"Don't touch that!" Paine yelled and she landed next to him, and pulled him away. The voice changed and it grew angry like it was cursing Paine; no, cursing the Dragoons for interfering, for trying to take him away. It was angry, murderous.

Roxas quickly moved away as Paine changed back. He ran to Axel, and Axel grabbed Roxas and lifted him off the ground. "Roxas! What has gotten into you?" he asked as he looked at the teen.

"Axel, we have to go now!" Roxas said. "It's angry."

"What's angry? What are you talking about?" he asked as he set Roxas down. Roxas shook his head and buried his face in Axel's shirt.

"Roxas is right, Axel." Paine said. "We should go now." She passed him and stood next to Xaldin. "It's best that we leave now, and pass over the mountain, we'll have better luck there than going around." Axel nodded and took Roxas's hand and lead him away from the strange statue. The ground shook as Xaldin reached the tree line.

"What was that?" he asked the group without looking at them.

Roxas turned and backed up into Xaldin. The stone creature had begun to move. It's black shell broke apart as it began to flex its limbs for the first time in centuries. It made a strange humming noise like that of a whale as it slammed its hands on the ground.

"The Virage has awakened?" Paine said sounding shocked. Xaldin turned and raised his staff.

Roxas fled from the clearing followed by the others. He needed to get it away from Axel and the others- that was why the creature had awoken.

He slipped away from the group and found himself near cliffs and hot rocks. He turned around to see the creature dragging its legless body to Roxas.

Had it been hurt by the lava in the volcano? Or had it been hurt by the Dragoons, the things that it hated so much? Roxas drew his two swords, and faced the creature, the Virage as Paine had called it.

"Go away! Go back to sleep!" The creature stopped and its jewel like eyes made no hit of life. It began to speak again at him but this time it's voice was louder and clearer in his mind.

"MY…GOD…AWAKEN…MUST…AWAKEN…THE…GOD." Its voice was like a light, cool breeze and barely heard across the land, but it was clear in Roxas's head.

"Go AWAY!" Roxas yelled. "And leave us alone!!!"

"AWAKEN…MY…GOD…DRAGOONS…WILL…PAY…" It dragged itself closer to Roxas. "PROTECT…"

"ROXAS!" Roxas looked up to see Axel dive down on the Virage. As he dived ,Axel formed the massive fire ball in his hand, and released the Flame Shot spell. It exploded on contact with the Virage's massive head, so Axel landed in front of Roxas. "Are you alright?" Roxas nodded, and smiled.

"I am now."

"Don't run off like that again," Axel said sternly. The creature made the whale-like noises and shook off the smoke.

"It didn't have any effect on it!" Roxas said, his voice shaking with fear. Axel turned as the Virage gripped the ground with its massive arms. A strange light began to glow at the main jeweled eye in the center of its head. Axel's eyes widened and he sent another fire ball at the creature as the blue beam was launched at them. The fire ball hit the beam with no effect.

Axel grabbed Roxas and shot into the air to dodge, but was hit in mid-jump and was thrown to the ground instead. Roxas managed to land on his feet, but Axel was not as fortunate. He crashed to the ground not far from the creature.

"AXEL!" Roxas yelled, but the red head did not respond. If he didn't act, the Virage would kill him. Roxas rushed forward with blades ready. It was time to prove that he was worth something, and wouldn't always be a burden.

He jumped onto the creatures arm, ran up and swung hard with each blade on its wrist until it was severed in a strange bloodless manor. Roxas jumped down to the ground next to Axel who was getting back on his feet. The creature looked at its handless wrist, and looked at Roxas. It whipped up its wounded arm and, to the horror of the two below, the hand grew back.

Axel flew up from behind Roxas, wielding his chakrams. Paine had dived down from the sky, having found the battle by Axel's spell. Xaldin grabbed Roxas's hand and pulled him out of the way as the creature fell sideways.

It became apparent that the creature had some of the best healing powers any of them had ever seen. Every time Axel and Paine sliced off its limbs they grew back.

Xaldin joined the battle but Roxas didn't. There had to be a better way to kill this thing. Force wasn't beating it at all. He looked around and saw the cliff. He ran for it, stopped at the edge and looked down. "Lava." He muttered. He looked at the creature then back at the lava. "If we can get it in to the Lava, it might be what we need to kill it."

Roxas rejoined the battle. The Virage suddenly reached out for Roxas but Axel threw his flame spell at it. The creature recoiled and both Axel and Paine landed next to Roxas. Xaldin ran to them when they touched down and they stared at the creature.

"How are we going to defeat it, if it keeps regenerating?" Xaldin asked Paine.

"You two need to push it into the lava," Roxas said. "I think that might finish it off." Paine looked at him.

"And how do we do that?" She asked him.

"Use your spells to push him back, not to hurt him," Roxas explained. "If you attack the main body it may not be able to heal, so it will get weaker."

Axel nodded and dismissed his chakrams. He took to the air, and flew back slightly. He was going to try something that had just come to his mind, now that Roxas mentioned pushing. He felt the flames build up around him. He flew over his parties heads and smashed into the creature. It was thrown back several yards. Axel was also thrown back, and smashed into several dead trees. He shook his head, and let the flames die away as he flew back into the air.

The Virage was now trying to flip off his back, but it had worked. It was now getting closer to the edge. He saw Paine power up, and try the same thing with the black aura that wrapped around her. She was able to send the creature back also, but remained in the air, and unharmed. Axel shook his head, powered up the flamed and repeated his attack, and this time he remained in the air.

The Virage was now on the edge of the cliff. Both Paine and Axel powered up, then flew forward at top speed and smashed into the Virage at the same time, which forced it off the cliff. What happened next was to unpredictable to stop. The creature grabbed Roxas around the waist and dragged him down with it.

"AXEL!!!"

Axel dived down, followed by Paine. Roxas looked up and took Axel's hands as Paine severed the hand. As quick as he could Roxas wrapped his arms around Axel's warm armor and looked down. The Virage reached up as it slowly sank into the lava. It cried in agony and begged for help.

* * *

Axel looked at the fire as Roxas examined Xaldin's healing wound.

"So what was that thing?" Axel asked Paine.

"It is called a Virage. In the Dragon Campaign, the humans had the Dragoons and the winglies had the Virage. They were blood thirsty creatures, and they were said to be massive numbers of them in one battle. I thought that they had all died off."

"The Dragoons were supposed to be legends, and dead, but look, here you are," Xaldin said, and he twitched and gasped as Roxas touched the wound.

"It must have awoken because of the Dragoons," Paine said. "To be alive that long, just to seek revenge…We were lucky, that one wasn't a full Virage. It was only half. It must have been burned by the something to make it unable to regenerate the rest of it." She looked at Roxas who was re wrapping Xaldin's chest. Her mind was fixed on him.

Why had he heard a voice that none of them could hear? How could he understand the Virage? Why was it after him, but not attacking, but trying to defend him? There were many mysteries about him, and she felt that they would explain themselves in the future. She just had to wait to see, like she had done these many years.

* * *

Veroxen: Yes I am aware that this chapter sort of sucks. We didn't want to directly go into the Volcano, because it wasn't very important. I did however decide to go on more about Roxas in this chapter. If you played the game and have beaten it you know what is going on. I decided since in the game you can't hear what the Virage says I'd put in what I think they say. Anyways I've dragged on long enough.

We don't own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Dragoon. Maybe when I become rich and famous I'll buy them, but that will never happen. Anyways stay tune for Cy with the next chapter which will be a lot more interesting than the last few ones.


	9. Chapter eight

Chapter Eight

The trip to the forest from the bottom of the volcano was quick. When they got there, Roxas was the first to notice that something was wrong- the air smelled differently here, and he told Axel immediately. "Axel?"

"I smell it, too," Xaldin said.

"It's the dragon's poison," Paine said. "It's why the Sandora's don't have a defense in this forest. The dragon provides it naturally."

They all started to move forward through the woods, and it was fine for awhile. The poison didn't seem to be affecting any of them. But, then, Roxas tripped, fell onto his knees, and yelped. Axel looked back at him, and was at the blonde's side instantly. "Are you okay?"

"Just a dizzy spell, that's all," Roxas said as Axel helped him stand.

Paine shook her head while Axel was occupied with Roxas, and Xaldin nudged her in the side. "What's your problem?" he whispered to her.

"We have to get to the dragon, and the kid is getting in our way," she whispered back. Axel continued to talk to Roxas about how the boy just had to tell Axel that he had to rest and they would rest. Paine groaned, but was stopped by Xaldin's hand on her shoulder.

"That kid happens to be the reason why Axel fights," Xaldin said. "If Roxas weren't here, Axel wouldn't be, either."

Roxas sighed and nodded, and then the two of them approached Paine and Xaldin. Xaldin smiled at the two of them, and asked if they needed to stop for a bit. Axel looked down at Roxas, but the blonde shook his head. "I'm getting used to the air around here, I think."

Xaldin nodded and motioned for Paine to continue leading them forward. Axel stayed close to Roxas because, though the blonde insisted that he was fine, the redhead could see that Roxas was beginning to trip over small rocks and twigs.

They walked on and on through the forest, and Paine was glad that nothing attacked them while they walked. It was when they stopped to rest that Paine had to tap into the dragon's power and send a wave of fear through the creatures thinking to attack them. Unfortunately, this happened more often than she would have liked- and occurred more as they neared the center of the forest. Roxas was having a hard time staying on his feet by this time, and it was annoying her that Axel kept calling for her and Xaldin to slow up a bit, so that Roxas could catch up.

The boy was barely Dragoon material. Even if another spirit did happen across them, _Roxas_ would never take a dragon's notice. The blonde should have stayed in Hoax, out of her way. But, no, that damn redhead refused to even try and convince him to stay. She sighed and watched as Axel and Xaldin talked about what kind of chemicals the poison was composed of, and Roxas just sat on the rock.

_His eyes are really blue…_ Paine thought, noticing for the first time just how blue the boy's eyes were. It reminded her of that little girl she saw a few years ago, one who also had sparkling blue eyes. Actually, almost everything about Roxas reminded her of that little girl.

Xaldin nodded to Axel, agreeing that they had to keep going now. He walked up to Paine and nudged his head in the direction they had to go. Axel had Roxas under his arm, and they walked beside each other up to Xaldin and Paine. No more was said, and they continued into the forest.

Soon, the floor of the forest was no longer there; it caved deep down, and was covered by a large spider web. Axel whimpered at the sight of the web- if the web was four times as big as he was, how big was the spider that made it? Roxas grabbed Axel's hand and smiled up at the redhead comfortingly. Axel felt a little better, knowing that Roxas would at least warn him before the spider got too close. (Unlike Paine, who had already proven that she didn't care about his fear of spiders, and had dropped a little one on his head to see his reaction. Xaldin had to hold him down while Roxas picked the little bug out of his hair.)

Paine determined that they would have to go through the spider web to get to the dragon- she could sense that the dragon was close, but underground. She turned to Axel and told him to burn the web, so that they could get through. Axel made sure that Roxas was fine on his own, and then preceded to form a fireball in his palm and then shot it at the web. The fire reared up and startled Xaldin, who was quite close to the hole. Axel looked back at Paine and asked what they should do next. "Now, we go down the hole," she said, and transformed and flew down into the hole.

Axel transformed, the bright red light shining and the heat waves rolling through the air. Xaldin felt the heat of the dragon on his arms and Roxas had to cover his face away from the heat. Axel took Xaldin on one arm and Roxas on his back as he slowly drifted down the cave. When he hit the bottom of the cave, he let Xaldin out of his grip and made sure that Roxas was safely on the ground before he let the armor fade away. Then, they looked around the cave and sighed. The poison was very think in the air here, and Xaldin was starting to feel the effects of it. The knight started to feel slightly dizzy, but knew that it was only the beginning; poor Roxas had been dealing with the poison for hours now, and currently couldn't stand on his own, though the boy wouldn't admit it.

Paine sat near a pool of water and ran her fingers through it, wondering how such clean water could exist in the midst of all this poison- a dragon's poison, no less. She called Axel to her, and the redhead left Roxas to sit and then went to the other Dragoon's side. "What do you think of this water?" she asked him.

Axel leaned over the pool and sniffed. "It smells like water. Nothing else, though… Especially not like the poison that's around here. It's not even settling on the top of the water, or at the bottom."

"Like the water is repelling the poison?"

"Maybe," Axel said, then dipped his hand in the water briefly. It stung his fingertips and seemed to rear up at him. "But I can't really tell. Water hates me…"

Paine chuckled. "It doesn't hate you. It's afraid of you. You could easily make it dry up if you wanted, and it likes where it is."

"Water has feelings?"

"All the elements do. And until you've gained more control of fire, water will always sting."

Paine called out to Xaldin to bring Roxas over to the pool. Xaldin was slower than usual, but got them both over to where Paine and Axel were crouched by the water's edge. Roxas leaned up against Xaldin for a moment then slumped down next to Axel- the redhead was quick to put his arm around the blonde to steady him, and then cupped his other hand and scooped up a handful of the water. "Drink this, Rox," he said, and tipped the water into Roxas's mouth.

"You too, Xaldin. Drink a little," Paine said. When both of them had a few gulps of the water, Paine looked around and saw a path that led deeper into the cavern. She nodded her head in that direction, and Axel helped Roxas up. Xaldin followed quickly, feeling much stronger than before and happy to see Roxas walking on his own.

The four of them walked down the way into the cave, and soon came to a point where the poison was very pungent, and then they stopped. A platform leading to an exit of the cave was a minute's walk away, and on that platform stood a knight- one in faded green armor. Next to the platform sat the dragon; Axel recognized it as the dragon that attacked him on his way to Seles so many weeks ago. Paine waved them forward and they started moving again.

The knight on the platform noticed them walking forward and turned toward them. "Well, who do we have here? Xaldin, is that you?"

Xaldin snarled, recognizing the voice. "Greham…"

"You know him?" Axel asked.

"I will never forget him!" Xaldin snapped. "He used to be the head of the Second Knighthood of Basil… and my father's best man!"

The knight, Greham, walked off the platform and held out his arms, making as though he was going to embrace Xaldin like an old friend. "Welcome, Xaldin. I see you've become a knight, just like Servi-"

"Don't mention my father's name!" Xaldin yelled and stomped his foot, grabbing his spear from behind his back.

Greham just laughed. "Are you still carrying that grudge after more than a dozen years for my betrayal of your father?"

"Not just my father, but King Zexion and everyone else I know!" Xaldin sighed and looked away. "You betrayed Basil… and to think, I used to look up to you."

Greham shook his head. "Are these words of a patriotic knight, or of a vengeful son?"

"Both!" Axel and Roxas looked at each other, wondering what exactly had happened between this Greham and Xaldin's father. Paine was only watching Feyrbrand, waiting for it to attack. But, the dragon seemed to be rather docile, and Paine couldn't find the reason for its submissiveness.

"Well, Xaldin," Greham said, "We'll see how you fare against my new power." Suddenly, the wind picked up in the cave, and Axel put his arm around Roxas's shoulders and Paine braced herself against the wind. Xaldin pushed his spear into the ground to keep from wavering in the wind. The gusts around Greham really started to pick up, and circled around him along with a bright green light. Soon, the light became too bright to look at, and the dragon called out a loud roar while the light dimmed again.

Xaldin was the first to look. "A Dragoon?" he said, not believing what he was looking at.

"I should have figured," Paine said. "Only a Dragoon can control a dragon." She looked Greham in the eye, stepped forward, and asked, "Where did you get the Dragoon Spirit?"

"His Majesty Doel gets all his intelligence and power from Emperor Diaz," Greham said matter-of-factly. He held out his hands and formed two short, edged staves.

Paine laughed. "That's funny. You do know that Emperor Diaz died 11,000 years ago, at the end of the Dragon Campaign?"

Greham shrugged. "I've never seen him, but Doel swears it is Diaz. And, Doel would never lie to us, his people." He pointed both his weapons at Xaldin and smirked. "You have your chance to avenge your father, if you've the courage to fight against a dragon!"

Feyrbrand roared again, and Greham charged at Xaldin. Xaldin braced himself against the blow, but Axel had already transformed and gotten in-between the other Dragoon and Xaldin, locking their weapons together. Axel brought Greham into the air, far away from the ground.

Paine transformed and charged the dragon, slicing at its tusks, and then flying behind it to avoid the counter. She shot balls of darkness at its eyes, hoping to blind the creature so it would be less likely to hit them. She didn't notice Xaldin and Roxas hacking away at Feyrbrand's legs, distracting it enough for that one spell to connect, and then the dragon was caught without sight.

It started roaring louder than before, and Greham and Axel looked down at the trampling creature and saw the wind pick up around it. While Grehman cried out for his dragon, Axel only noticed that Roxas was in perfect place to be stepped on. Both Dragoons dived down, forgetting their weapons in the air. Both sets disappeared- one in a gust of wind, the other in a burst of fire.

Greham called his weapons to his hands and swiped at Paine, but she was faster and easily dodged the attack. Axel dived under the dragon and grabbed Roxas around the middle just as one of the dragon's legs was about to land on top of the blonde. Axel looked back and saw that Xaldin had gotten out of the trampling feet just fine, and was currently climbing up the dragon's side, prepping for an attack. He brought Roxas to a spot above the platform that Greham was standing on before, and said, "Please, just stay here?"

Paine countered with her own attack, which cut through Greham's left wing. Grehman fell to the ground and Xaldin took the chance to charge with his spear, getting Greham in his neck. Greham grunted and stumbled back, but shot a gust of wind at the Knight, which Xaldin fell backwards from. Paine flew down and prevented the other Dragoon from attacking Xaldin, their blades clashing together and echoing through the cave.

Roxas tried to protest, but the dragon gained back its sight and reached around and grabbed Axel and pulled him away. "Axel!!!" he screamed and reached out, but the redhead was already gone. Roxas could only watch as the dragon sized up Axel and determined that he would make a good snack. He called out for Axel again, and then the blue light shot out straight at Feyrbrand. The dragon stopped moving, dropped Axel, and then slumped down on the ground. Roxas, still blinded by the light, had his face covered. Axel caught himself before hitting the ground and flew over to Roxas.

Paine matched Greham's two spears in a dance to first blood. She flew left, and he went right at her. She swung her sword down to knock away his spears, and then flew back right. Again, he thrust his right spear out to try and stab her, but he was tired and slow compared to Paine.

Axel flew Roxas over to Xaldin and asked him to watch the blonde. Xaldin looked at Roxas for the first time since the battle began, and noticed that the boy was very pale- the light from the limestone cave, he figured. Xaldin held the boy up, and Axel charged into the battle, calling his chakrams to his hands and joining in the dance. While Greham stabbed at Paine, Axel swiped at his other wing, and then his legs, and soon, the green-armored Dragoon was covered in gashes from the other Dragoons.

Finally, Greham knelt down, and both Paine and Axel pointed their weapons at the man. "Xaldin?" Axel called him over, and after making sure that Roxas would be fine on his own, Xaldin walked over.

He pointed his spear at Greham and asked, "Why, Greham? I still don't understand why you betrayed my father."

Greham breathed heavily. "No one was stronger than your father… That was the only thing I could never conquer. I had... admiration for him, as a mate...and as a friend. But time goes by and it turned into this feeling...This fear, from realizing the limits of your ability... This fear… goes nowhere. The only thing you can do is curse yourself for weakness... "

"But, why turn to Doel?"

"He offered me the power I sought, to become stronger than your father," Greham said. "But it wasn't enough to just have the power, I had to prove that I was stronger than Servi." He sighed and bowed his head to Xaldin. "But, perhaps the Dragoon Spirit is not the strongest power one can obtain."

"Are you going to end it or not, Xaldin?" Paine asked.

Xaldin looked at the man before him, and readied his spear, "For Basil, and my father," he said, and thrust the spearhead deep into Greham's neck, the only unprotected place on a Dragoon's body. The Spirit began to shine a bright green and the wind picked up again. When it stopped, Greham's body had gone and the Dragoon Spirit was still glowing on the ground.

"He is lucky to be dead now," Paine said. "Greed for power eventually conquers you. Unleashing power only generated sorrow. He should have known that, as a Knight. He was lucky to die now and avoid more sorrow."

The Dragoon Spirit flew up to Xaldin's hands and it shined bright green again. "What?"

"Maybe you are a Dragoon, too, Xaldin!" Axel said, happy for his friend. He let his Dragoon armor fall away, as did Paine. But, while Axel went on about how much fun they'll have training him later, Paine's head was reeling.

_Is it coincidence, or fate? Why are the Dragoon's being called… again?_

"The Spirit of the Jade Dragon recognized you, Xaldin, as its next master," Paine said. Roxas walked over to their group and smiled.

"Congratulations, Xaldin," he said.

Xaldin still looked unsure. "I'm a Dragoon… I deserve to rule dragons?"

"Not only that, but you have an obligation to accept your fate as a Dragoon," Paine said.

He looked at Axel and got a nod. Xaldin looked at the little gem in his hand and looked at Paine. "I will. It's what Greham left for me, and I accept it. The fate of a Dragoon."

Paine smiled a little. "We must wait to train you, though. I'm a little tired from the fight, and Axel must be." Axel nodded. "So, we'll get out of the forest and then we'll train you on our way back to Bale."

Axel led the way over to the platform. "We can climb up here," he said. He motioned to Paine. "Ladies first?"

She scoffed. "I would hardly refer to myself as a lady, but whatever," and began to climb. When she reached the top, Axel started up. He reached the top easily, and then called down for Roxas to come up. "Why leave Xaldin for last?"

"Because he's the strongest out of all of us. You first, because you'd be easy to catch if you fell, Then me because I can help Roxas up when he gets up this far, and Xaldin last because he won't fall- and even if he does, the dragon will catch him," Axel reasoned.

Roxas looked up the cliff and turned to Xaldin. "I'm not gonna make it, Xaldin," he said. "I'm having a hard enough time just breathing."

Xaldin put his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "If you fall, I'll catch you. Don't worry, okay? You're in good hands." He gave Roxas a nudge toward the wall and Roxas began to climb. It seemed to take forever, and about halfway up the cliff he felt a burning pain in his throat. Then, his chest tightened up, and his eyes widened as he stopped breathing. His arms started shaking, as did his knees. His fingers tightened around the rock he held himself up on, and he put his head down against his chest.

Axel, looking down on the blonde, watched him climb up the beginning of the cliff with no apparent problems. Then Roxas stopped, and Axel started worrying, whispering his friend's name. "Roxas… c'mon, Rox, you can climb this…"

Xaldin, looking up, also worried that if the blonde fell and he missed catching him… Axel would never trust him again. And, the little blonde looked very likely to fall now.

Roxas couldn't remember falling… just that his legs finally gave out and his fingers wouldn't hold on any more and _oh, gods, oh gods, I'm going to die_ and all he could really focus on was that song that Axel used to sing to him when they were younger.

"_Sparkling Angel…" Axel sang when he was nine. Roxas, only five, loved the song and thought it was beautiful. And, what made it that much better was that Axel sang it for him every night._

"Roxas!!!" Axel screamed as he saw Roxas fall. He dived, and transformed once he had pushed off the cliff. He grabbed Roxas's left hand just before the blonde would have landed in Xaldin's arms, and Axel cradled the boy in his arms. He looked down at Xaldin and nodded up the cliff. Xaldin nodded back and felt the wind pick up around him.

He emerged as the Jade Dragoon, and flew up beside Axel. When they reached the top of the cliff, Paine was already transformed and flying in the direction of the forest's edge. Axel and Xaldin caught up with her easily, and she yelled back at them, "He just needs fresh air."

Axel burst speed, knowing that he had wasted precious time waiting for Xaldin to transform- three minutes without air. Roxas hadn't been breathing for about two now, and was already out cold, still not breathing. He passed Paine, flew up above the treetop, and hoped that the air was fresh enough here to start giving Roxas the breath he needed. But, still, he went faster, and within a few seconds he was over a field instead of the trees.

He landed, and to his relief, Roxas _had_ started breathing. It was shallow, like the boy was taking in his last few breaths, but Axel was relieved to see that chest rise and fall even in the slightest. He laid the blonde head in his lap and ran his fingers through Roxas's hair, then brought Roxas's body up farther so he could hold him against his chest and feel the light breath on his neck.

The redhead didn't even notice how exhausted he was until Paine and Xaldin finally landed beside him and dismissed their armor. He looked at Xaldin and begged that he watch Roxas and make sure that he stayed breathing. Then, he put his head down on the ground and pulled Roxas next to him and slept.

Xaldin put his hand in front of Roxas's face, and nodded when he felt the boy's light exhale. Paine started to put together a small pile of sticks, grabbed Axel's Dragoon Spirit, and used her own to activate a flare with which she lit the sticks. She shook her head at Xaldin. "I knew it," she said. "The boy is more trouble than he's worth."

"The boy saved Axel's life earlier," Xaldin snapped. "Feyrbrand would have taken Axel's head off if Roxas hadn't used that light to protect him."

Paine didn't say anything more, and Xaldin was glad for that. He didn't like the way she condemned Roxas to staying behind and wished that he had never come, but he wasn't going to try and make her change her mind. He only watched the fire and periodically checked to make sure Roxas was still breathing. Once, when he checked, Roxas wasn't breathing, and he had to shake the boy a little before he gasped in a breath, but other than that he was fine throughout the night.

* * *

"I have to take Roxas to Lohan," Axel said the next morning. "You two should report back to Bale for your next assignment."

"I am not a weapon, nor would I accept an 'assignment.' I fight because I want to," Paine said.

"We're not going to leave you," Xaldin said slowly. "Or Roxas."

Axel nodded, and transformed. Lohan would be a thirty-minute flight from where they were- considering that they had to stop before the town. The Dragoon armor might scare some people, or give away the new power of Basil to Sandora. Though Lohan was neutral, it was still in Sandora territory. More likely than not, there would be spies in that town.

They flew on, Axel carrying Roxas against his chest. The blonde had woken up this morning long enough to eat a little breakfast but fell asleep again soon after. As he flew, Axel hummed a little of the lullaby to Roxas, remembering those good times when the war wasn't even a threat to Seles. It was starting to look like he had done more harm than good by leaving Roxas in Seles, though…

When Lohan came into view, Axel started descending, and dismissed his armor along with Paine and Xaldin. They entered the town, and Xaldin started leading Axel and Paine to the clinic.

"Such a crowd," Axel whispered in awe. "And in the middle of a war." He looked down at Roxas and smiled sadly, and then whispered just to the blonde, "If you were better, it would be fun…"

Once in the clinic, Xaldin demanded to see the best doctor they had, and called them on their refusal to serve the Head of the First Knighthood of Basil. The nurse shook her head and said that Dr. Senator would be available soon, and that they just needed to wait… unless, of course, they were willing to see a less famous doctor?

Xaldin said that they would wait, and wait they did. For about five minutes.

Dr. Senator was an old man, still being the doctor because he loved the job. He was hunched over and wore thick glasses. His hair was almost gone, and he had an unpleasant odor about him, but this was easily overlooked because he was the best doctor in all of Endiness.

"Dragon's poison?" he questioned when they had gotten into a private room. "You know that with such a poison, once the body is finished being attacked, the mind is then assaulted? He could last a week, if he's lucky."

"But, there's gotta be something!" Axel said.

After thinking on it for a moment, the doctor said, "If we can get some Dragoni Plant, he may survive." Axel started for the door, and he continued, "It's very rare, almost legendary. But, if dragons themselves still exist, why not the Dragoni Plant?" He pushed his glasses back up his nose, and said, "The shrine to the north of the poisoned forest is rumored to carry Dragoni Plant."

Axel nodded, and Xaldin and Paine followed him out the door. Axel thought about the song and how he was going to get that plant and save Roxas. _"Show me dreams and turn them real,"_ Axel sang under his breath.

Roxas was going to live. Even if it killed Axel, Roxas would live.

* * *

Disclaimer: Nope. Spork rules the world, so why would I get either of these great games?

A/N: Okay, that last scene was rushed… but I have a relatively good reason! I couldn't have sex until it was written. I had to at least get it down… and when I went over it I couldn't really find anything that needed alteration. It works, I think…

Review?


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

All Axel's mind was on was the Dragoni Plant. He did not care what was waiting for them, he knew whatever it was he would burn it off the face of the earth. He was unaware that Paine and Xaldin were talking, he just lead the way back into the forest.

They stopped at the hole where the Dragon's dead nest lay. "We'll walk around it." Paine said, "You've transformed too many times today," she said looking at Axel. "And Xaldin is still not trained yet."

"Don't talk about us like we're dogs!" Axel snapped. He was in no mood for Paine and her insulting comments. "If you haven't already noticed, we are human beings too, more than I can say for you though." Paine put her hand on her sword and stepped forward, and Axel did the same.

"Hold on you two!" Xaldin said and he stepped between the two of them. "This is no time to be fighting!" He was having a hard time keeping them apart. "Axel, remember what the doctor said? We have less than a week, at most. Do you really want to waste time?" Axel sighed, and he felt the air around him cool down a bit. Xaldin was right. The more time they spent arguing, the less time Roxas would have left. "Good, now let's go!" he said, pushing Axel ahead with his unburned hand.

* * *

Once around the large hole, they continued down the path. They stopped at the fork, "This must be the way to the shrine," Axel called to Xaldin. Xaldin turned to Paine and then looked down the path.

"It's getting dark now…" Xaldin told him. "We might want to make camp for the night, and head out before dawn tomorrow." Axel did not say anything. He wanted to continue, but Xaldin was right. How much good would he do Roxas if he was too tired and weak to climb to the shrine and back?

"If we are stopping for the night we'll be able to put in a practice session seeing how we need to train Xaldin to properly use his dragoon." The two men looked at each other and smiled, knowing what was going to happen.

* * *

Paine floated above the ground and seemed to blend into her surroundings even more as the sun sank behind the trees. "Axel, use your fire to light the area. You'll be learning how to light fires that don't burn unless you command." She turned to Xaldin who was standing on the ground fully Dragoon, but looking very concerned.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said so quietly that only Axel heard him.

"So do I."

"So Xaldin," Paine said and both men could swear she was smiling, but they were unable to see her face. "Now we begin… Like Axel and all other Dragoons, your element will bend to your…" Paine stopped as Xaldin unbalanced. "…will. What wrong with you! GET IN THE AIR!" she snarled. Xaldin immediately took off into the air. The ground had begun to move on him, and caused him to unbalance. "Like Axel your opposite element does not like you because you cannot control your element. It is afraid that you will rip up trees, anyways..." Paine said sounding agitated, because Axel had just set several trees on fire.

"Like I said earlier, your element will bend to your will." Xaldin nodded showing her he understood. "Now," Paine said pointing to a tree that was not in flames, "Summon your power, reach deep in your heart for it, and see if you can damage that tree with a wind spell."

As hard as Xaldin tried he could not even get the leaves to fly off the tree, and Paine was now becoming violent at him; his cause was not helped when Axel set half the clearing on fire, and could not get it under control. Paine was ready to give up when she was struck with an idea. Axel could be motivated when Roxas was involved, like Axel Xaldin had someone he would die for, and respected.

"No wonder why King Zexion can't win the war, he employs weak knights…" Paine stopped and smiled, this was just the thing to get Xaldin to focus. The wind had picked up drastically, and the fires were immediately put out.

"Don't you ever!" Xaldin snarled at Paine. Axel looked at her and she nodded, the turned her gaze at Xaldin. He shot at Paine, and brought his right hand to his left shoulder, and felt the air follow him. He stopped suddenly, and whipped down his right arm, and felt a rush go by him. Paine dodged it easily, and then looked down when she heard a load crashing sound. Several large trees that had been in the path of Xaldin's spell had crashed to the ground because they had been completely cut through the trunk.

"Now that is better." Paine said.

* * *

The next morning Xaldin still had not recovered from Paine's attacks ; physical and mental. So as they walked along the path they had to walk slow due to the strong wind that blew around them.

Axel did not say anything to Xaldin, afraid that his anger might be directed at him. Also, his mind was on Roxas. They had to get to the shrine, and they had to get the Dragoni Plant. What would he do if Roxas was gone?

"What's that?" Xaldin said, and Axel looked up. Someone was on the path. It was a small person or looked like a person. He was wearing a large hat and bright clothes. The person looked up, and jumped back.

"Intruders on my land?" he said, loudly. It seemed that he was talking to himself, but the three of them could hear him talking. "I will not let them!" He ran into the woods. Xaldin lowered his lance and looked at the other two.

"What do you think that was?"

"Not sure," Paine said. "Looks like we won't be alone up here so stay on guard."

It was getting harder to breath for the two men as they approached the top of the mountain. Paine seemed completely fine, as if she walked up mountains every morning before breakfast. She was the one leading the way.

"Is it just me," Axel muttered to Xaldin. "Or does she know things that nobody else knows."

"She's a Dragoon, someone who isn't supposed to exist. Dragons aren't supposed to exist." Xaldin said.

"I know that," Axel snapped. "She's weird, not human. Like she had no heart. She doesn't care about others unless they are Dragoons, and she's constantly trying to keep Roxas down."

"I agree that she does not seem to have a heart, but I know what you mean. She knows a lot about the Virage, the Dragoons and the Dragon Campaign, but maybe she has read about it, or heard about everything. I mean, she did say that she's traveled all over. I wouldn't doubt that she has heard things from the other countries." Axel agreed and looked forward.

"I wonder how long she has been using her dragoon?"

"A long time I suspect. She is an expert, and I haven't seen anything or anyone land a hit on her."

"Look," Paine said. She was stopped several feet ahead of them, and pointing down. Axel and Xaldin raced up what was left of the mountain, and stopped next to her. "The shrine."

Down on a smaller mountain below them was a large ruin. Even in the dying light they could see that the shrine was composed mostly of white stone. "The plant is down there," Axel said, and they stopped for the night, knowing that the plant would be in their hands soon.

* * *

Paine woke them up before the sun had really risen, and they started off down the mountain. Something about the shrine made her heart race. Was it the fact that the plant was there? No, but that was the reason she had become happy, but there was something else that was eating at her. It was a feeling as if an old friend was down at the shrine. A friend that had been waiting a long while for her.

"Does anyone else have a weird feeling about the shrine?" Xaldin asked.

"Like you know someone there?" Axel asked, and Xaldin nodded. "Yeah," Axel continued, "it's making me uneasy." They looked at Paine who did not seem to notice that they had said anything. "Personality like stone, cold and hard."

Once they were level with the shrine they noticed there was a lot of water around the place. "It looks like it was built on a lake," Xaldin said.

"Built on a lake with white marble," Axel said touching the closest stone. "What kind of Shrine is this?" He looked up to see Paine with her back to them and staring at a symbol over the entrance.

"It is…" She muttered. Paine closed her eyes and remembered a woman in a white cloak, then in white armor. Then several others; one in blood red armor, one in green, one in gold, blue, then one in purple.

"Paine? Are you alright?" Xaldin asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," she snapped with a shake of her head. "I was just thinking." Axel stepped forward and felt a heat around his neck. He pulled the stone off his necklace and noticed it was glowing. Then as he looked around, he realized that Paine and Xaldin had their Dragoon spirits out and they were glowing, too.

"What does this mean?" he asked Paine.

"It means that there is a Dragoon in these walls," she explained. "The Dragoon spirits glow when another is around." She looked very serious. "To be on guard is a good thing. We don't know whether they are friend or foe."

* * *

Veroxen: If we really owned the games do you think we would be writing this? Hell no; it'd be a game already.

Okay yes this chapter was not very eventful, or interesting. See I get to write in the new character, and no I'm not telling till chapter eleven and trust me when I say that will be a great chapter. Stay tuned for Cy for chapter ten.

P.S. for our readers we are both at college so don't get mad at us if we don't update for a while OK?


	11. Chapter ten

Chapter Ten

After reading multiple notes left behind about how they should leave and just give up, Paine was ready to follow their instructions. She didn't want to be here, didn't have to be here… and anyway, what did she care about that little shit? The only reason she was here was to make sure that Axel and Xaldin didn't get out of hand with their new abilities.

But, the dragon was here. That meant that _she_ was here. And, that meant that Paine would be facing her past for the first time in… a long time. _She_ would not be so forgiving for her trespassing. After all, they fought for a long time over _him_.

Axel would not stop. The traps and slides wouldn't deter him, and he pressed Xaldin and Paine forward as if it were their lives that depended on finding the Dragoni Plant.

Finally, after figuring out the traps and how to get past them, they came to a platform that looked like it led to an alter of sorts- like the kind ancient civilizations used for sacrifices. Paine stopped the other two with a quick, "Hey!" and they both turned around to look at her. "I have a feeling this is going to get dangerous. Something's going to-"

"Watch out!" Axel pulled Paine forward and turned around so he was covering her. Three darts were standing in the ground where Paine had been standing. Xaldin tensed and looked around- there was a small man crouched on a pillar smirking down at them. He wore a funny maroon hat and a big coat with more darts in one hand and a knife in the other.

Paine stepped away from Axel and called up to the man: "What's your problem???"

"You're after the treasure! You're thieves!"

Axel shook his head. "No, we're looking for the Dragoni Plant!"

"Liers!" the man called. He jumped down from his perch and went at Axel with his knife open. Axel sighed and opened his hand. He felt the Dragoon spirit glow and burn on his collarbone, then let loose a small fireball at the man. Paine looked on this and nodded- at least Axel was getting to be a very mature Dragoon.

The man backed up and patted at his hat to stop the fire. He threw it down and stomped on it, and then picked it back up and put it on. He threw three more darts at the group and ran at them.

Axel felt himself heat up immensely and he transformed. Paine recoiled from the heat, something she hadn't had to do since training Axel. She ran over to Xaldin and pulled him behind a wall. No sooner had they settled on the ground behind the wall did a wall of flames fly over them. Paine kept Xaldin on the ground while she peeked over the wall and saw Axel slowly floating down and touching the ground. The small man was laying ten feet away from him, burning. The smell was pungent enough to reach her and Paine motioned for Xaldin to stay back- Axel's dragon was out of Axel's control and Xaldin would be safer here.

Paine walked over to Axel and saw him summon his chakram pair and prepare to throw them at the man. She called to him first, "Axel! Stop this!" When he looked over, Paine saw the eyes of a Dragon, powerful and bright and Paine stopped and thought. Such power in a human would tear him apart if the Dragon continued.

"Red-Eye Dragon, calm down," a voice called from beside Paine. She looked and saw a translucent figure walk toward Axel- a spirit, a ghost. The ghost waved its hand and the flames all died down. Paine noticed Axel's mouth start to twitch, like he was angry at the spirit. He turned to the ghost and started to form another explosion, and Paine turned when she heard her name. "Go back to the other man," the ghost said.

Paine nodded and went back, pulling Xaldin down while Axel released another explosion, trying to get the ghost to disappear.

Xaldin and Paine both looked over afterwards and saw Axel laying face down on the ground. Xaldin ran around the burning embers and went to Axel, kneeling down and lifting Axel up enough to get his head off the ground. He turned to Paine, who was standing next to the spirit. "What happened?" he asked.

"Axel's anger tapped the Dragon's power and it felt the need to fight in Axel's place," Paine answered.

The spirit nodded. "The Red-Eye Dragon just needed to release its power to calm down. It had prepared for a long fight, and didn't get it."

"It's something I'd meant to work on with Axel," Paine said, "his temper."

Axel stirred in Xaldin's arms and opened his eyes. They were back to normal, Paine noticed and she went over to him. "How do you feel?"

Axel just groaned.

Paine nodded and turned to the spirit. "To business?"

"I would like to know why my quiet time has been interrupted," the spirit answered.

"We are looking for the Dragoni Plant."

"Why?"

"Roxas…" Axel said. He turned to face the ghost and begged, "Please, he's sick. Dragon's poison. The Dragoni Plant can help him. He'll die if we don't get it!"

The ghost sighed. "I'm sorry, but the Dragoni Plant is gone. I have no more."

"But, what about Roxas?" Axel groaned.

"Shana, there has to be a way," Paine said.

Xaldin looked at Paine, confused. How did she know the ghost's name?

Shana thought for a moment. "I guess I could…"

"I'll do anything! Please," Axel said, standing up with Xaldin's help.

She summoned a bright white glow, and then a tiny stone formed in her hands. "Anything can be healed with the magic contained in the White-Silver Dragon Spirit," she explained. The glowing stopped and the Dragoon Spirit disappeared. "You won't just get it, though. I want to know you."

Axel and Xaldin looked confused, but Paine just shook her head. "You know me, Shana. Do I have to go through this test, too?"

"Just the men," Shana said. "Axel, what's in your heart?"

Axel shrugged, but then a yellow sphere appeared around Shana, and consumed her. When the sphere was gone, Roxas was standing in her place. Axel gasped and reached out, but then he spoke.

"Axel… I've been waiting for you. Why did you leave without saying a word?"

Axel thought and then answered, "I had to find The Black Monster."

Roxas shook his head. "So, what will you do when you find it?"

"I'm going to…" Axel stopped. What would he do when he found it? The Monster destroyed his entire village. He couldn't match it in strength. Maybe, he could use his Dragoon to fight it… but, no, then he risked dying and then Roxas would have no one to protect him. "I don't know."

The little blond glared at him- very Roxas-like. "That's so like you, Axel! Just rushing off without even considering the consequences or other people's feelings!" Roxas's form faded and Shana replaced the space where Roxas was.

Axel knelt down and let his body droop. He had a bad feeling he just failed the test. What if he didn't get a second chance? Roxas would die because of him.

"Is that what you feel about Roxas? The boy you left to die in Lohan?" Shana said.

Axel leaned back on his heels and moaned. How could he let this opportunity slip away like that? Roxas was depending on him, and he couldn't talk to him. If Shana had taken any other form, Axel would have been able to just say what he felt, but he had to protect Roxas… he couldn't tell Roxas what really happened.

"Xaldin, what about you?" Shana asked. "What's in your heart?"

The same yellow sphere consumed her, and where she once was, King Zexion replaced her. He stared hard at Xaldin and said: "Xaldin! What are you doing here? You are to report back to Bale at once!"

Xaldin immediately recoiled. "That's not like you at all!"

"So you are disobeying me? Xaldin, do you dare to disobey an order???"

"Roxas needs me here," Xaldin said. "I'll return when he is no longer in danger."

King Zexion nodded, a small smirk finding a place. "Spoken as a true knight of Serdio. Life is precious, be it one or many. Help out with Roxas," he said, and then the yellow sphere engulfed him, and Shana was floating in front of them.

"A final question, Xaldin? Who is the most important person for you to protect?"

Xaldin closed his eyes and thought briefly. "My mother."

Shana smiled. "It's human to care about parents. You are human before being a knight. Parents care for their children and a child yearns for its parent. The bonding makes a human strong. Don't forget you have somebody waiting for you."

She turned back to Axel, still crouched on the ground and looked on sadly. "Paine, may I speak with you privately?" Paine nodded and followed her away, and Xaldin sat down across from Axel.

"Hey," he said. "You need to calm down."

"He's going to die because of me," Axel said. He looked up at Xaldin and the older man was startled to see the tears forming in Axel's eyes. "Because I can't say it to his face."

"Can't say what?"

Axel sighed and wiped at his face. The Dragon inside him warmed up, and he felt flames licking at his skin. Xaldin backed up, scared that Axel was going to loose control again, but Axel reached out and formed the fire into a heart shape.

"I can't tell him that I love him," Axel admitted. "I can't say that I've been in love with him since I was fifteen. I can't say that I'd do anything for him. I can't say any of this because I don't know if he'd be happy or think I'm a freak." He waved his hand and the heart disappeared. All the fire went away, and Axel sighed.

Xaldin smiled. "You'd be surprised," he said, and then stood up and went down to the stream for a quick drink.

Axel thought on those words, and then went up the stairs to the alter and said, "Shana?"

"Yes?" the ghost said, appearing right behind him, with Paine at the bottom of the stairs.

"Can I try again?"

"Of course." She turned herself into Roxas and Axel took a place on one knee and grabbed Roxas's hands.

"I'd do anything for you. If you want me to stop pursuing the Black Monster and go home with you after this is over, then that's what I'll do. If you want to come with me while I- _we_- keep looking for it, then we'll do that. If you want me to never leave your side or if you want me to leave and never bother you again, I'll do it. I don't know what I'll do if I find the Black Monster, but it's not as big a part of my life as you are," Axel said. He looked up and saw Roxas smiling.

"I've been waiting to hear you say that forever, Axel," Roxas said and then started to glow and Shana was floating in front of him again.

"Your final question," she said. "Advancing will bring truth as well as ordeals. You still want to go?"

Axel shrugged. "Whatever Roxas wants me to do."

"Your devotion is astounding," Shana said. "I only wish more people were like that in the world." She summoned the small stone again and gave it to Axel. "You have earned the Spirit, and I have only a small request before you leave and save Roxas. Please use the Dragoon Spirit to save Drake. He protects me where I cannot protect myself."

Axel nodded. "The guy that attacked us before?" Shana nodded. Axel walked down the stairs to where the small man- Drake- still lay, holding on to the last breaths of life he had. Axel looked at the white stone in his hand and wondered what he had to do.

"Hold it next to yours," Paine said, seeing what he was trying to do. "The Red-Eye Dragon will channel the White-Silver Dragon's power for you."

Axel held the stones next to each other and they both shined brightly. After the light died down, Drake was sitting upright and looking much better. He stood up and ran off, muttering thanks before he left.

Axel smiled wide. "Roxas can be cured with this! Thank you, so much, Shana."

The ghost nodded and disappeared. Axel transformed and took to the sky, Xaldin and Paine following right behind him.

Paine thought as she flew, about what Shana had said to her. "Paine," she had said, "I see the end of your agonizing journey. The young man there will awaken the old you, and lead you to the future." Shana indeed was still holding the grudge against her for moving in on _him_, but was adamant that Axel would change her.

She was looking forward to the end. But, she hoped that it didn't mean the end of all life… just hers.

* * *

They soon arrived outside of Lohan; unfortunately, the sun had set and the city had closed its doors. Axel stared at the large wooden doors and bit the inside of his lip, thinking about how he could legally get inside and still not show the world that he was a Dragoon. Xaldin and Paine stood to either side of him, thinking about the same thing.

Finally, Paine nudged them upward and used her Dragon to cover them in darkness while they flew up and over the walls. Axel landed on the roof of the first building, turned back and started along the way to find the clinic. He knew that Roxas was in a room on the top floor of the hospital and had a view of Serdio instead of Lohan. Xaldin and Paine followed close behind in the air, Xaldin carrying the White-Silver Dragoon spirit. Paine would have held it, but the Spirit was light-based, and stung her if she held it for too long.

After twenty minutes of searching, Axel swung into a room and out of sight of Xaldin and Paine. They both landed quietly on the roof and lowered themselves through the window. Axel was already sitting on the edge of Roxas's bed, holding the blond's hand.

Dr. Senator was standing back, and turned to Xaldin and Paine when they came into the room. "Did you get the Dragoni Plant?"

Xaldin handed Axel the White-Silver Dragoon spirit. "No, but with this, we should be able to save him," he said.

Axel placed the spirit near Roxas, but before he could reach for his own spirit, the little white stone glowed on its own, and Axel covered his eyes along with everyone else in the room.

"I thought the power could not be released without the help from another Dragoon?" Axel asked.

In a few seconds, the shining stopped and Roxas was there, sitting up on the bed. He rubbed at his eyes and then looked in front of him. "Axel?"

He was quickly engulfed in a hug by the older man, which he returned. "Oh, Roxas, I was so worried!"

"What is this?" Roxas asked, pulling the white stone out of Axel's hand.

"The Spirit of the White-Silver Dragon," Axel answered.

"You're a Dragoon, kid," Paine said. "If you weren't, so much power wouldn't have been drawn."

"You purged the poison yourself," Xaldin explained.

The Doctor stepped forward and examined the blond. "Yes, your spirit is back in your body. The poison is completely gone!"

"Axel," Roxas said, his voice still small, "what's going on?"

Axel smiled and tapped his own Spirit. "This is the power of the Dragon, do you feel it? You were saved with this power."

Roxas turned the stone over in his hands and gave it a thoughtful look. "Yes, I feel it. The warm power of a Dragon… It's nice and sweet, almost tender."

"Can you stand?" Axel stood up and let Roxas slide off the bed. He was tense, ready to catch the blond if anything happened, but nothing did. Roxas was fine now.

"You all are strong enough to battle through this," the Doctor mused. "I don't need payment. Just seeing this miracle is enough. Just end the war quickly, please."

"There is no more threat of that Dragon," Xaldin said. "The rest will be taken care of by King Zexion soon."

"You all defeated a Dragon? You might do well in the Hero Competition."

"Hero Competition?" Roxas asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Daredevils are coming from all over the world to compete tomorrow. If you are interested, the sign-up booth is in the Arena."

They all nodded and said their thanks. They left the clinic and headed to the hotel, where they managed to find three open beds. Paine and Xaldin each got their own bed, and Axel pulled Roxas down on his chest to sleep. "Axel?" Roxas whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I knew you would save me," Roxas whispered. "You're the best friend a guy could ask for." Then Roxas fell asleep, gripping Axel's shirt.

Axel considered briefly waking him up and kissing the teen, but he probably hadn't had a peaceful sleep since Hoax. Roxas needed his sleep. He settled to just whisper it, now, while he knew that Roxas was asleep and wouldn't hear him.

"I would do anything for you," Axel whispered. Then, he kissed the blond head and turned his head to the side to sleep.

Roxas smiled in his sleep.

* * *

"It's a fistfight to the finish!" the announcer called. "If you want to test your courage, step on up and sign up for the Hero Competition!"

Roxas pointed over to the desk and said, "There it is, Axel."

Axel smirked. He had given his Dragoon Spirit to Paine so he couldn't accidentally tap into it, and Xaldin was given specific instructions not to let Roxas out of his sight. Eighteen years old or not, Lohan was not the place to get lost.

He got on line and wrote his name at the bottom of a very small list. Afterwards, he asked the announcer, "Hey, what's up with the small crowd?"

"People die in this competition sometimes," the guy told him in low tones, so the rest of the group couldn't hear. Axel seriously considered taking his name off, but kept it there. He wasn't going to die. He would sooner take the shame of leaving the ring then leave Roxas alone.

"The Competition is going to start soon. All participants should make their way to the waiting room," the Announcer called over the crowd, and Axel followed his finger to the depressed room.

When he got there, a fight was already breaking out.

"Who you callin' old, kid?"

"You! Whatcha doin' in a fight? Eager to die?"

"Look, I might not be the best with my fists, but you'll be hurtin' if you keep yappin'."

Axel smiled. He knew that voice. He heard a battle cry, feet hitting the floor, then a crunch of bones and a body hitting the floor. He looked over, seeing everyone else back off.

"That's why no one messes with the scar." The man chuckled and then looked around. That's when their eyes met and Axel stepped forward.

"Hey, kid! It's been forever!"

"Hi, Xigbar," Axel said, and went to stand next to the older man. Actually, the guy was at least twice his age. They had met three years ago; Xigbar was looking for his younger sister, who had run away a long time ago.

They went over to a corner and talked and caught up. While they did this, the announcer came in and took the first two contestants.

The Hero Competition had begun.

* * *

Disclaimer: Nope. No owning.

Cy: I think it's pretty good. Axel wanted to confess it a little too early, but I wanted to throw in drama. I figured that Axel wouldn't answer the questions right the first time and would be all dramatic. So, I tried it. It's not bad, at any rate….


	12. Chapter Eleven

Note: we decided to change the Hero Competition back to a weapon's fight. The change is made in the last chapter, too.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"The competition will begin with these contestants!" The man listed four names and the men walked forward, and pointed them through one of the two doors. Xigbar looked at Axel and smiled.

"So Axel you being a good boy?" He chuckled.

"Yes Xigbar I am…What happened to your eye?" Axel said indication the black eye patch the other had on.

"Oh this?" He chuckled again. "A former foe I ran into on my search. It happened a few years ago, but I don't remember what really happened."

"Why?" Axel asked and it sounded as if he didn't really want to know.

"A bar fight," Xigbar said coolly with a shrug. "I don't even remember what we were fighting about. Probably nothing really important." He folded his arms and frowned. "I have to say out of all the places I've been to this has to the must unstable and chaotic country I have even entered." Axel nodded in agreement. "So anyways what brings you here?"

"Thought I'd enter." Axel shrugged. Xigbar chuckled.

"Little Ax, always trying to get stronger and stronger. So where's this Roxas kid I've heard so much about? He watching?"

"What?" Axel looked over at the older man and coughed a little. "Oh yeah he is, with a few of my friends."

Xigbar chuckled again. The redhead's face was close in shade to his face. He nudged Axel in the side and said, "Sweet, he can see you lose to me."

"In your dreams, I'll beat you fair and square!" Axel snapped, smiling a little in spite of himself. He hoped that he didn't lose in front of Roxas. That would just be embarrassing.

"As if," Xigbar said, and they both laughed. Axel was glad that he had run into Xigbar. He had missed their travels together. Xigbar always had a way to make even the worst things enjoyable. Someone emerged from the doors and looked around the room.

"The next match will proceed!" The announcer yelled.

"What happened to the other people?" someone in the group yelled.

"They had to be taken to the local doctors due to extensive injury and bleeding." The main group back away and that's when Axel saw him. He was young, but his silver hair covered his face. The black clothes he wore were a little frightening, Axel had to admit.

"You see him too?" Xigbar asked, suddenly serious. "I heard he's one hell of a swordsman."

"Who'd you hear that from?" Axel asked looking around.

"Well, he was one of the first matches you see, they were allowing entrances until the second round or when they were full. He killed his opponent."

"Damn," Axel said looking at the young man.

"GORGAGA AND AXEL!...XIGBAR AND DAIN!" Xigbar and Axel looked at each other.

"Hey kid, don't lose your match. I'm looking forward to beating you in the finals." Xigbar walked off, and Axel looked up to see a large fat armored man holding a club.

"I'm going to flatten you into a pancake," he said then walked away. Axel blinked a few times trying to rid his lungs of that awful smell before he approached the announcer.

"You ready?" He asked, and Axel nodded. "Good, go right through here." He pointed to the left door. Axel entered it taking the sword that he had got at the desk from his belt. The door closed sharply behind him, making him jump.

"AND HERE WE HAVE AXEL OF SELES FIGHTING GORGAGA FROM THE EASTERN TERRITORY! BEGIN THE MATCH!" Axel looked forward just in time to see the fat man charging at him with a lot more speed then he might have been credited for. Axel rolled around him and looked back to see that he had crashed head first into the wall.

He took several steps backwards and spun the sword in his hand. He'd rather have his chakrams, but he wasn't allowed to use the Dragoon, so he had to make do with what he had. Gorgaga turned back to Axel and rubbed his head. "You'll pay for that, fresh meat!" Axel lowered his sword and tilted his head to the side. Was this guy trying to eat him? It sounded like it with all the food references. Gorgaga charged and so did Axel. He raised the sword, and dodged the club that had come down on him and pushed a powerful cut right under Gorgaga's armor. It took a few steps for Axel to slow, and when he turned he turned just in time to see Gorgaga fall.

"AND THE WINNER IS AXEL!" The crowed exploded and Axel raised his bloody sword in the air to their cheers.

"Nice match Axel," Xigbar said when Axel returned to the waiting area. "Nothing like serving some bacon, huh?" Axel blinked and Xigbar shook his head.

"Did you win your match?" Axel asked.

Xigbar laughed.

"Did I win my match he asks? That guys nose snapped faster than a man can bleed." He leaned back against the wall and fixed his long black cloak. Axel caught a glimpse of the familiar black leather armor that Xigbar normally wore when they traveled together.

Xigbar was exceptionally fast when fighting, and accurate. Throwing knifes and other things usually was what he did apart from his hand to hand combat. He flexed his hands, and motioned Axel to come over. "What?" Axel asked.

"Look over there," he said pointing. Axel turned to see Xigbar pointing at the silver hard young man. "He's going to be one tough cookie." Axel couldn't help looking down with a snort of laughter. He realized he really did miss traveling with Xigbar, always something new and unexpected happened with him.

The two of them were unstoppable in their matches, as they approached the final. Axel kept Xigbar annoyed by saying stuff about his age. "I am not that old!" Xigbar snapped at him. "And if you want to keep your face you'll be quiet about that."

Axel looked up as Xigbar emerged from his match. He smiled but Xigbar shook his head and was holding his left arm very tightly. "Have fun with this guy, Axel."

"You lost?" Axel gasped.

Xigbar nodded. "That kid is fast, way faster than I am." He grimaced as he showed Axel his sliced arms. "He got me good, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't land a hit at all." Axel swallowed hard, if Xigbar couldn't hit him it was unlikely that he would. Xigbar grinned. "Looks like you finally beat me at something," he said.

"I haven't faced him yet," Axel said trying to figure out if he should face this man or withdraw from the competition.

"You don't have to beat him. I'm in third and you're second." Xigbar straightened up. "I'll keep my fingers crossed," he said making fists and then looking at his bloody hands. "What's left of them." Axel chuckled as Xigbar patted him, and in doing so smearing his own blood all over Axel. "Woops sorry kid."

Axel looked at the blood and shrugged. "No problem Xiggy." Xigbar laughed and pushed Axel to the oncoming announcer.

"Get going."

"Riku and Axel!" Axel looked at Riku who had stopped next to him.

"Good luck," Axel said offering his hand. "We'll make this a good match." Riku looked up at him without a word.

"I don't need luck," he said walking forward.

"AND TODAY FOR OUR FINALS WE HAVE RIKU FROM…I'M NOT SURE WHERE!" The crowd roared. "AND OUR RISING STAR AND HERO, AXEL OF SELES!!!!" The crowd roared even loader, and Axel could see Roxas and Xaldin cheering in the stands. He caught a glimpse of Xigbar at the top of the stands hands in his pockets. He gave Axel the thumbs up and then nodded. Axel looked down to Riku and noticed the black bladed sword in his hand. Axel readied himself, and waited for the call. "LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Axel charged, but Riku just stood there. He was just about to bring his sword down on Riku when he moved so quickly that Axel almost fell face forward in the bloody dirt. The crowd made one sigh, and then people screamed as Riku charged. Axel turned and blocked the attack at his left hip and then his right. He managed to throw a punch and hit Riku in the right shoulder, but then was thrown back by an unseen kick.

"Time to end this," Riku said raising his sword. Axel stood up and readied himself as Riku charged again. He went to hit Riku but he vanished and a pain sliced throw Axel's body and he knelt to the ground and dropped his sword.

"AND THAT'S THE END!!!" The crowd cheered. Axel stayed there for several moments before someone grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"There we go, that's a good boy." Xigbar said. He had run down the stands as soon as he saw Axel fall, to help the redhead up. He helped Axel from the ring.

"How is it possible that anyone can move that fast?" Axel asked. Xigbar shrugged.

"Not sure, but you lasted longer than I did that's for sure, and you managed a few hits even if you didn't notice them." He sat Axel down in the chair and looked at his side. "Not that deep… Your armor saved you a bit."

"AXEL!" Xigbar looked up and jumped away as a blond teen jumped at Axel. Axel caught Roxas and managed to keep his chair upright. "I was worried when you got hit! But you were so awesome!"

"Um thanks?" Axel said realizing that if Roxas didn't get off of him he would be covered in blood. Xigbar chuckled silently from Axel's other side. "What's so funny?" Axel snapped at him.

"Nothing," Xigbar said and he looked up in time to see Paine and Xaldin coming down the stairs.

"Um Roxas can you get off me? I really don't want you covered in blood." Roxas obeyed, but pulled out the sliver stone and touched Axel's side which healed instantly.

"Now that's effective." Roxas looked at Xigbar and tilted his head.

"Oh Roxas this is Xigbar," Axel said as he got up. "Remember? I told you about him."

"Oh yeah," Roxas said smiling and he took Xigbar's hand and shook it. "You and Axel traveled together." Xigbar nodded.

"Yeah, and it's nice to finally meet you in person. I've heard a lot about you from Axel here," he said releasing Roxas's hand and patting Axel on the back.

"And this is Paine and Xaldin." He shook their hands when their names were announced.

"Master Xigbar?" Xigbar frowned, and tilted his head.

"Not sure about Master, I haven't taught people in a few years." He chuckled. "Well Axel it's been nice seeing you."

Axel frowned. "What? You're not going to stay?"

"I'll pass, I still have to continue on my journey."

"You can wait a little longer can't you?" Axel asked, and Xigbar sighed. That kid could get him to do anything...

"I guess so," he grinned, "fine I'll hang for a little while."

The odd group walked around the festival tents for a little while and talked about nothing in particular. Xigbar entertained Roxas by telling him stories about when he and Axel were traveling around together. Xaldin also found these amusing and then the two ended up on a talk of random things.

"So how do you like Xigbar?" Axel asked as he put his arm around Roxas's shoulders and pulling him to his side.

"He's funny," Roxas said with a laugh.

"Yeah, he was like a father to me when we were traveling together," Axel said, smiling. "It was some of the more fun times that I had."

"It seems like he thought so, too." They remained silent for a while.

When the they realized that it was close to midnight they all decided to turn in. Xigbar was staying at the same place they were, and had to go get his things. Xaldin had decided that they needed to start their trip back to Bale to report to King Zexion.

Once they had gathered their things that made their way to the entrance of Lohan. It was there that they were met with an unpleasant scene. A knight wearing the Bale colors had several arrows sticking out of his back and a gaping hole in his chest. Xaldin threw Roxas out of the way who was caught by Xigbar, and then rushed to the man.

"Sir Xaldin," the man said through gulps of air and blood. "I…I'm glad I found you… Mmmy death won't be in vane…," he said painfully.

"What happened to you?" Xaldin asked placing his hand on the man's open wound.

"The castle was a-a-attackkkedd…" he took several deep breaths. "His…His m-Majesty w-w-wassss…t-t-tt-taken hostage," The man said trying to speak. "T-t-hey took himmmm to Hellena…"

"What?"

"I'm sorrrry I c-c-could d-d-do nothingggg t-t-t-to save-e-e him…" The man went limp in Xaldin's arms. He lowered his head as the people whispered around him.

No they couldn't do this, he wouldn't let him. Xaldin put his hand over the man's eyes and slid them close and he picked up his body and handed it to another Basil knight that had come running. Xaldin ran forward to the gates, but Axel grabbed him.

"What are you doing?"

"What the fuck does it look like I'm doing!" Xaldin snarled, trying to pull away.

"You can't just run into something like this!"

"Get the hell off!" Xaldin screamed.

Xigbar came out of nowhere and threw a hard punch into Xaldin's chest and helped Axel catch him.

"Let's stay another night, he'll need it," Xigbar said softly to Axel. "We don't need a scene here, being so close to the enemy." Axel nodded and helped Xigbar walk Xaldin back to the heart of the city, Paine and Roxas following closely.

Xaldin groaned and as he sat up and held his chest. He leaned forward. "Well look who decided to get up?" Xigbar said playfully. "Have a nice nap?" Xaldin looked around and then jumped out of bed, but Xigbar stood up. He was a lot taller than Xaldin, and a bit more intimidating.

"Let me pass," Xaldin growled.

"A knight who is fueled by rage and hate is as helpful as a dead one. If you rush into something like this with a blind eye you will be no help to your king." Xaldin looked at Xigbar with a hateful look. Then he sat back down on the bed.

"What am I going to do?"

"More like what are _we_ going to do," Axel said as he examined Xaldin from the door way.

"Axel is right! Did you forget about us?" Roxas said as he got up off the floor. "We're here to help."

"Dragoons have to stick together," Paine said moving from the wall. "So, What are we going to do?" She looked at Axel.

"We're going to go in and rescue King Zexion. And I know how we can get in."

* * *

The group exited the wagon and looked around. "Now If I remember I think the way to the top is this way." The group followed Axel ready to strike at any moment. He stopped them at a corner and looked out and moved onto the open bridge. "Damn… the lift if broken." He looked back at the group.

"I think there was a way up… Remember that room we had to get into where we found the key to get Roxas out?" Xaldin asked Axel. "I'm sure those stairs lead up to the top." Axel thought, and then nodded.

"Oh yeah, all we have to do is go through the back part and that's how we get there."

"This is what I call a maze of death," Xigbar said with a frown as he followed the group.

* * *

Pete looked down at Zexion, his axe over his shoulder. "I don't care what the man in the hood says…" he muttered under his breath. "Ah see that over there your majesty?" Zexion looked up at the small glimmer in the distance. "That is the rising of the sun. Once it comes over that mountain range, _You Will Die_."

Zexion turned around and glared at the warden, and then spit at the man's boot. His face hit the ground from the force of Pete hitting him in the back of the head. "My Knights will come for me," Zexion ground out. _Xaldin... hurry._

* * *

Xaldin and the others froze as they realized that they had just walked into an ambush. "Oh shit," Axel said as they were forced back to back in the center of the room.

"Have a nice trip!" One of the men yelled. "See you next fall!" Axel and Xaldin both looked down to see the trap door open to the abyss below.

* * *

"Axel are you okay?" Roxas said shaking him.

"Depends on the meaning of okay," Axel said sitting up and rubbing the back of his head and looking around. "Is everyone here?"

"Looks like it," Xigbar said as he looked around. "This is one hell of a place to end up." He looked around.

"We need to get out of here quickly!" Xaldin said as he moved his hands across the wall. "Find a place where air is coming from and we will find a way out."

The group split up all searching the walls. "OVER HERE!" Roxas cried and the group ran to him. "Feel that?" Xigbar moved forward and felt the rock.

"The kid's right. There's a breeze here."

"Then I'll blast the wall away." Axel said reaching for his dragoon, but then something growled making them all freeze in their tracks. "Please tell me that was your stomach Xigbar," Axel whispered.

"Afraid I can't, Ax," Xigbar said turning around. The rest of the group did the same as a pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness.

"The beast of Hellena…" Xaldin said stepping forward. "It's killed so many Knights of Basil." He drew his dragoon as the bull-like beast emerged. It stood up on it back legs and roared. Xaldin transformed and shot right at it summoning his staffs at the same time, then Axel with his chakrams, Paine with her sword. Roxas pulled out the silver stone, and looked at it. He had never been given the chance to use it, or even get to learn how to use it.

"Aren't you going to go with the others?" Xigbar asked as he pulled a dagger off his belt.

"I don't know how to use this yet."

"We'll you'll never know if you don't try." He patted Roxas on the back. "Why don't you give it a shot, and I'll stay close to you, an extra eye." Roxas giggled and nodded.

"Okay." Xigbar backed away as Roxas pulled the stone to his chest. There was a fluttering like sensation that moved through his body and then a flash of white. He spread his wings wide and felt the two swords materialize in his hands, but they were different then regular swords. They seemed like keys one was black and the other white. Roxas opened his eyes and looked upon the battle.

"Alright, Kid, lets go," Xigbar said running forward and Roxas nodded and flew after him. The other Dragoons moved back as the creature flailed his arms, however Xigbar took this to his advantage and dodged the creatures arms, followed closely by Roxas.

"Roxas! What are you doing?" Roxas dismissed one of his swords grabbed Xigbar's raised arm and threw him onto the creatures back, summoned his swords drove them deep into the creatures flesh and shot up dragging the swords with him and landed neatly on the creature's back next to Xigbar.

"Better hang tight," he said through a laugh. Roxas drove his swords into the creatures back and he and Xigbar grabbed them as it tried to toss them off. They both looked up to see rocks falling. Xigbar covered his head, but Roxas wasn't afraid.

"I got them," Roxas said flying into the air, and he whipped his hands up. "Star Children," he whispered. He knew the spell was supposed to caused the light magic to rain down, but in a reverse action they came up from around him and destroyed the falling rocks.

Roxas looked down to see Xigbar jump onto the creatures head and drive the dagger into the side of the skull and then jump off. Roxas dived down and caught Xigbar's hand and let him down easy. The creature snarled then slowed, and slowly hit the ground.

"What did you do?" Roxas asked.

"Southeastern eel poison," Xigbar said proudly. "Has enough poison in one drop to kill two hundred humans, and it acts almost instantly." The others landed next to them and transformed back.

"The way's open," Paine said. Xaldin turned and made right for it.

* * *

"The sun is up." Pete picked up his ax and looked around. "No sign of him, but I'm sure you're still some use dead." He advanced on Zexion, and raised his ax. Zexion tried to pull free but couldn't, and then he looked up. He closed his eyes and turned but nothing happened. Zexion opened his eyes and gasped.

"Xaldin!"

"Your Majesty Zexion, we've come to save you," Xaldin said pushing against Pete's ax with three of his staffs with wings wide. Xigbar jumped in and cut through Pete's back with a rusted sword he had picked up. Roxas landed next to Zexion.

"I'll get you out, Your Majesty," he said as he untied Zexion's hands.

"Roxas behind you!" Xigbar yelled from where he was battling Pete with Xaldin. Roxas turned and saw a giant bird dive at him. Having little time to react, he stretched his wings out and covered Zexion. Before impact, though, Axel intercepted, throwing both chakrams at it. Roxas returned to setting Zexion free.

"How did you manage this? That brute said you had fallen into the best's lair?" Zexion asked.

"We killed it, and followed Xaldin," Roxas explained. "There."

Zexion rubbed his wrists and looked at Roxas. "Thank you," he said.

Roxas smiled. "No problem." They both looked to see Xaldin easily overtake Pete, and the soldiers were fleeing. Roxas flew over and joined the group, then transformed back.

Xaldin changed back and helped Xigbar to his feet. "Not bad for an old man," he commented

"Watch it bud," Xigbar said pointing the sword at Xaldin who laughed. Zexion smiled and went to get up but heard someone behind him.

"Not so fast, Your Majesty. There is something I want from you." Zexion could do nothing as the cloaked figure forced his hand through his back. He cried in agony, and Xaldin looked up. He raced forward and transformed. The figure backed up and then realized who was coming after him. He whipped a strange glowing sword from the inside of his cloak.

"XALDIN STOP!!" Paine yelled running forward, but it was too late. Xaldin raised his spear, but the cloaked man thrust the sword through Xaldin's chest, making sure the blade came out of his back. Blood spattered everywhere as Xaldin cried out. The cloaked figure pulled the sword from Xaldin and backed off as his hood fell off.

"RIKU!" Axel yelled and he raced forward taking the sword from Xigbar. Riku looked up still holding the silvery green orb. He turned, ran and jumped off the edge of the building and vanished.

Axel slid to a stop and knelt at his friend's side as the Jade Dragoon released its hold on him. "Xaldin!" Axel yelled. "Xaldin, look at me." Xaldin turned his head and looked at Axel.

"I'm…" he tried to say something but all that came out was blood. He gripped Axel's hand. "Is King Zexion safe?" he managed to get out.

"I am," Zexion said kneeling quickly on Xaldin's other side and taking his other hand. They could hear the Basil soldiers yelling and coming to their aid.

"I'm glad…" He rested his head back as the blood poured from the wound. "I would have been a horrible knight to let my King be harmed." Zexion shook his head and touched Xaldin's face.

"Xaldin, my old friend, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." But Xaldin merely shook his head.

"I was glad to be able to serve such a wonderful king and friend."

"Xaldin, don't give up you're going to be okay," Axel said. He looked at Paine. "Can't we use the White Silver Dragoon?" But she shook her head.

"The power of that sword prevents it," she said simply. Axel looked back down at Xaldin and picked him up. They rushed him to the med team who began to set to work, but they knew it was helpless. Axel stood over the place they had left him, and his fists clenched. Zexion picked the Jade Dragoon Spirit out of the air as it flew from Xaldin to him and it glowed. He looked up as Axel transformed and began to destroy everything in sight while Xigbar and Paine pulled Roxas back.

The gem warmed to the touch and Zexion looked down as the green glow intensified. He felt a rush, like a spring breeze and then a sensation like the fluttering of wings. He put the hand holding the gem over his heart and closed his eyes, as tears over came him.

"Thank you Xaldin… My friend," he whispered to the wind.

* * *

Veroxen: Wow I didn't expect to so both scenes but I did. I guess? Anyways WHY RIKU!? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL XALDIN!?! ? *cries in a corner* it was even more traumatic when Lavitz died, and for all who don't know Lavitz is the LoD character that Xaldin is playing. Anyways, the next few chapters are going to be better, because this section is almost done, and for everyone who knows what I am talking about you know where we are heading. Lol I love Xiggy. He was hard, because not only do you have to have him as himself but as the wise fun loving old man Haschel. Yes I am aware that Xigbar has nothing to do with daggers and swords, but guns weren't around in that time or, were they?

Anyways enough of me blabbering bout nonsense, we don't own either of these games, and like said before if we did this would be a game itself. Hope you all enjoyed whatever your been doing while waiting and stay tuned for Cy with the next chapter of LEGEND OF DRAGOON Kingdom Hearts style.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Axel was pacing outside of a broken down building in Seles where Basil knights had set up a base. Paine hadn't yet come back from the woods; she claimed that stabbing things was therapeutic and she needed to relax after the events that happened at Helena. Roxas was inside the building with King Zexion, helping the wounded with his Dragoon Spirit while Zexion spoke words of reassurance to the knights laying on the ground with gashes in their heads and other various cuts and injuries. Axel had seen one knight without a left hand; he turned away and left the building and hadn't gone back yet.

He didn't know how Roxas could stand to be near all that blood. Axel and blood didn't go well together. If he could avoid it, he did.

He looked up at the sky. Little strings of clouds glided across a bright blue sky, mocking their loss. Axel knew that King Zexion didn't consider this battle a major loss. After getting all of the Basil knights out of the prison, only a few troops stayed behind with the wounded and the rest went to take back Bale. They had their city back, and only lost a few more men in that battle.

_Not a major loss,_ Zexion had said. Xigbar had shook his head and said that any loss is a major loss, and that the King should know that above everyone. Axel hadn't put in his thoughts on the matter. At least Xaldin would be okay.

After Paine had said that Roxas's Dragoon Spirit wouldn't do anything against the magic of the Dragon Buster, Roxas had knelt over the dying body of the former Jade Dragoon, and the same strange light that had protected him from the cave monster, and had protected Axel from Feyrbrand, healed Xaldin enough that the medics were able to patch him up the rest of the way. Axel had to carry Roxas out of the prison, but it was worth it, knowing that Xaldin would live. Xigbar had clapped Roxas on the back, thinking that the light had been from his Dragoon Spirit and that, above all odds, the dragon had healed Xaldin through Roxas.

Xaldin was resting now, as Axel paced wondering what their next plan of action would be. They still had to properly train Roxas in Dragoon magic, and now had to go through the same thing with Zexion. He wondered if Paine would have him help train the two of them, but after thinking about it for a while, decided that she would be against him training Roxas, but he would have to be present for it. She would probably end up using him against Roxas, to get him to fight.

But, after training the new Dragoons, what then? Zexion had determined that it was unsafe for him to return to Bale, and had sent a message to Master Yen Sid that he was to act as Regent until it was safe for him to return. Xigbar insisted that he follow the group, even though Paine was against it. She didn't like the idea of someone who wasn't a Dragoon following a group of Dragoons; it looked bad, and he'd just get in the way, she had said. Roxas had opposed her, saying that he and Xigbar had worked very well together in Helena.

That was when Paine had left Seles to go stab little creatures in the woods.

"Axel?"

He turned around and saw Roxas leaning on the side of the building, obviously tired. He went over quickly and helped Roxas sit on the ground, and then sat down next to him. "What's up?" he asked.

Roxas smiled and leaned his head on Axel's shoulder. "Zexion wanted to ask if you could train him to use the Dragoon Spirit," he said. "I told him that was Paine's job, but he insisted that he start training now."

Axel smirked. "Paine's not gonna be too happy if I try to train him," he said. "But, I guess I could get him started. When did he want to do this?"

"Right now," Zexion said from Axel's right. Both Roxas and Axel looked over and Roxas scrambled away from Axel and looked away. Axel glanced at Roxas and wondered why he reacted like that… it was just King Zexion; they had said more embarrassing things in front of the King before, so what harm would cuddling do? Zexion took a step toward Axel while the redhead stood up and helped Roxas up. "The sooner I know how to use the Dragoon Spirit, the quicker I can storm the Black Castle in Kazas and confront my uncle," he said.

Axel nodded. He would do his best to train Zexion and Roxas, or at least get them started so Paine could continue it. Then, Xigbar came out of the building behind Zexion, and said, "Hey, if you guys are gonna be training, I wanna watch."

So, Axel led the group of men out of the village and then turned to Xigbar and said, "You might want to stay back. I don't know how destructive they might be while learning, but I nearly burned from the marshland to Hoax when I transformed for the first time." Xigbar smirked and stood still, while Roxas and Zexion followed Axel farther out into the field.

Axel turned around after they had gotten a good distance from Xigbar and asked them both to tap into their Spirits. Roxas was able to do it easily, as he had done it once before, at Helena, but Zexion just held the stone in his hand and bit his lip. He looked over at Roxas, and noticed that his armor was different from the one that Xaldin had worn. It was much thinner and made him look more vulnerable. But, then he remembered that Roxas's dragon was a healer; the blond probably wouldn't be fighting so much as he would be helping the others stay alive. So, though his weapons were very offensive, Zexion doubted that Roxas would use them often enough to justify having them.

"Zexion?" Axel nodded after getting the king's attention, and told him the same thing that Paine had told him weeks ago when he was transforming for the first time. "There's a power, deep inside you; the power of the Jade Dragon," he said, and felt very smart for looking like he knew what he was doing. "You have to release that power. Remember- you're the Dragoon. You don't ask the dragon for anything, you tell it that you want its power and its strength. Reach inside yourself and find that power."

Zexion rolled his eyes, and then Roxas hovered over to him. "Just close your eyes and think about it. Feel the dragon in you," he said. He closed his eyes and thought about how stupid he felt, thinking about a dragon that's inside of him… but then, the wind started picking up around him, faster and faster, and then a bright green light surrounded him. When it died down, Zexion was dressed in the armor of a Dragoon- but, when he looked at his armor, and compared it to what he remembered of Xaldin's when he was the Jade Dragoon, he noticed that there were a few differences.

One, the color of his headband was a gray-purple, almost the same color of his hair.

Two, the harder he tried to call a weapon, the less likely it seemed that he would be receiving one from his dragon. Axel had said to just hold out your hands and ask the dragon to equip you. Zexion did this, but it was like the dragon was laughing at him.

Three, his armor was fashioned more like Roxas's. Thin. Light. He had hoped that he would be able to fight. At least Roxas could defend himself. What was he supposed to do without a weapon?

The wind having died down, Xigbar had come closer to the three Dragoons and whistled. "You look good, Your Majesty," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, but how do I fight?"

"With your element."

The men looked above them and saw Paine flying overhead. She lowered herself to the ground, stretched out her wings, and pointed her sword at Zexion. "You have control over the wind. That is more of a weapon than anyone else has. Think of what you could do if you could move the wind around. You could bring in a storm, blow away your opponents, or even change the air pressure around them enough to crush them."

Zexion grinned. "So, essentially, I'm powerful enough without a weapon?"

Paine nodded. She turned to Axel and said, "Take Zexion into the air and throw fire at him until he can stop it. Then, fight him." Axel nodded, and flew over to Zexion and pulled the King into the air.

Then, Paine turned to Roxas and said, "Your element, light, isn't exactly powerful, but is essential to our team. We need a good healer, and the White-Silver Dragon is the perfect healer. At the same time, your element is a natural enemy to creatures of darkness. After this bout of training, you won't be able to sleep at night for awhile."

Roxas nodded. He had a feeling that this would happen. Xaldin had stayed in his Dragoon form and flew everywhere for a whole day before he could walk without the ground going out of its way to trip him up. Axel still can't have straight water and the man was only finally able to bathe because the water used to sting his skin so bad he couldn't stand being in the water. "So, then, should I try sleeping during the day?"

"No," Paine said. "You'll do better if you get used to the darkness. You might end up falling asleep tomorrow, but it'll get better soon."

Roxas toed the ground, and then suddenly was jerked to the side as a ball of darkness zoomed past him. He gasped and called both of his swords to his hands, and looked over at Paine. As he expected, the other Dragoon had her arm extended and pointed toward where he had been before. "Lecture's over, huh?"

Paine formed another ball but this time, aimed upwards.

Xigbar stepped forward. "Paine, if you hit either of them, they'll fall to their death," he said. He prepared himself to lunge at her to stop it from happening.

Roxas dismissed both of his swords, feeling what was going to happen whether or not Xigbar was going to try and stop it. He leaned to the left a little, so he was closer to where Axel would land if she hit him.

"Xigbar's right, you know," she said. "If this hits either of them, they'll be knocked out enough that the Dragoon armor will leave them." She smirked. "Actually, you should hope that it hits Axel," she continued. Then, she shot the ball into the air.

Roxas flew into the air after it, hoping that he could beat it to its target. He felt a nagging voice in the back of his mind saying: _The Light, Roxas… use the Light_. Roxas shook his head and focused on flying. His wings were starting to burn with use, but he kept his arms to his sides and pushed them faster.

_The Light…_

Roxas stopped and hovered, and then formed a beam of light in both of his hands, and pushed it toward the ball of darkness. They collided just before it hit Axel, and both of the men in the air recoiled from the blast. He kept the beam going because the ball was still trying to push through to get to the other Dragoons.

Axel recovered first, and flew over to Zexion and dragged him out of the way of Paine's attack. They had been training well; Zexion was able to extinguish the fire that Axel made as soon as it left the redhead's hands. But, as he expected, Paine had to throw him into Roxas's training. Or…

Did she want Zexion and Roxas to work together?

Axel looked down at Paine, and she nodded like she knew what he was thinking. She threw another ball into the air, and Roxas strained against the beam, getting it to stop so he could target another one. But, this new attack was much faster, and by the time Roxas stopped the beam and got ready to fire another one, it had already hit Axel.

He screamed as Axel fell, bright red light coming from his body as his armor disappeared. He called out to Zexion, "Get him to slow down!!!" Then, he dashed towards the ground to try and get to Axel before he hit the ground.

Zexion was flying after Axel, too, but stopped when he heard Roxas's order. He sneered, thinking that was very pompous of Roxas to be ordering his King around. But, he made a gust of wind come up and slow Axel's descent. It worked, and gave Roxas the time to get underneath Axel and bring him to the ground. Roxas looked over at Paine and glared at her, and then turned to healing the man on the ground before him.

Xigbar tried to step forward, but Paine stuck out her sword and stopped him. "These two need to learn to work together. Zexion needs to learn that his abilities are used to protect, and Roxas is there to heal," she said, and shot another attack at the group.

Roxas turned from his healing to block the attack, and Zexion just stood to the side and tried to push the ball of darkness away with his wind. Eventually, the darkness disappeared, and Roxas went back to healing Axel.

Then it happened again. And Zexion still was very passive in pushing the wind away, but after this second time, Roxas, instead of turning back to Axel, turned to Zexion and said, "Cover me! Keep the wind blowing Paine's attack away so I can heal Axel!"

Zexion stepped forward. "You dare to order me, your King, around???"

Roxas punched him. Hard. "I fucking _dare_," he seethed.

The King put his hand on his face, where Roxas had hit him, and nodded. The boy meant business. He outstretched his hand toward Paine, and pushed the wind towards her while Roxas kept healing Axel. Every now and then he would mutter a few words, _Moon Light_, which strengthened his magic. Paine shot another attack at them, and Zexion pushed harder against it. It stopped in place a few meters from where he was hovering.

Roxas tried to keep his magic going, but the howling of the wind next to his ear was very distracting. Also, whatever power Paine had used in the blast that had hit Axel, it had really knocked him out. Finally, he saw Axel crack an eye open, and he stopped pouring his magic out and fell on Axel's chest. Axel's arm went around his back and tapped him underneath the teen's wings.

"I know you're tired, Roxas," he said, sitting up with Roxas. "But, you have to keep going. She's going to push you, but you have to go with it. It'll make you stronger."

Roxas sighed and nodded. He looked over at Zexion and flew over to the man, and shot his beam of light at the ball, as strong as he could make it. It went through Paine's attack and went straight at her. She quickly dodged, and then called off the two new Dragoons with a sharp, "That's enough!"

Zexion stopped the wind and Roxas put his hands down. Xigbar was lying on the ground near Paine, and got up when the wind stopped. He looked at Axel and observed that the redhead favored his left leg as he hobbled over to Roxas and asked the blond to calm down. "It was only a training session," he said.

"She could have killed you!" Roxas said.

"You wouldn't have let her," he said. Axel took Roxas's hand and laced their fingers together. "I trusted you. I knew, when I was falling, that even if I hit the ground, you would stop at nothing to make sure I was okay."

Roxas looked over at Axel. It felt so weird, being even in height with him. He lowered himself to the ground and let his armor fade away. Almost immediately, he fell forward into Axel's waiting arms. Axel lowered Roxas to the ground and cradled his head in his lap. He glared at Paine, and said, "I had a feeling you were going to throw me into this, but you didn't have to exhaust him." Paine shrugged, and Xigbar went over to Axel and Roxas and helped Axel pick the blond up.

Zexion let his armor fade with a flash of green light, and once he touched the ground, he tripped. Paine smirked as she, too, let her armor fade away and walked over to him and helped him up. She hadn't noticed before how short the king was before then; his eyes were barely at her nose. "The ground will be tripping you up for a little while, but wind is an easy element for gain control of, so you'll gain the ground's respect fairly quickly," she said, helping Zexion walk for a bit. They followed Axel and Xigbar back to Seles.

Axel brought Roxas inside the building and set him down on a bedroll next to Xaldin. He sat next to Roxas, against the wall, and Roxas, in his sleep, rolled over and wrapped his arms around Axel's waist and nuzzled his hip. Axel petted Roxas's hair, and the blond sighed.

After seeing all this, Xigbar went back outside the building, leaving the two alone for the most part. When he and Axel were travelling together, the redhead spoke of the blond fondly, and Xigbar knew from the first time Axel mentioned Roxas that he loved him. His eyes always seemed softer when he talked about Roxas, and he would look down and smile, like he was remembering the blond.

It was fun to watch Axel stutter when Xigbar told him that he should go home and get the blond in his bed soon, before someone else took him.

Paine and Zexion were talking next to the building, and Xigbar shuffled closer to hear what they were saying. "I need to end this war now. Paine, would you and the other Dragoons help me end this?"

"That depends," Paine said. "What would it entail for us?"

"We need to go to the Sandoran capital, Kazas," Zexion said. He folded his arms and mused, "I can't believe I trusted him…"

"Who?" Xigbar asked, stepping forward.

"Riku," Zexion answered. "I hired him as an advisor, because he had information on Sandora."

"What was it that Riku took from you, Zexion?" Xigbar asked, stepping forward to stand next to Paine.

Zexion sighed. "The story goes back 11,000 years... Winglies who ruled the earth were defeated in the Dragon Campaign and disappeared. However, their sacred objects were scattered around the world. They contained their magic power concealed in them only they could use. One of them was handed down in Serdio, and it has been sealed inside the body of each crown heir, because of the fear that the power could bring evil. The sacred object is the secret treasure of Serdio, which has been taken. The Moon Gem," he explained quickly.

"So," Xigbar started, "because Riku now has the this Moon Gem…?"

"Riku's the crown heir to Serdio," Paine finished. "And, by giving the gem to Doel, that will make him the rightful king to Serdio, ending the reign of Basil and King Zexion."

"I have to get the Moon Gem back, or I can't be recognized as the King of Serdio," Zexion said.

Xigbar nodded. "Axel and Roxas will help, you know that."

"I will, too," Paine said. She gave no more explanation, but she was really wondering what Riku was really planning to do with the Moon Gem.

Zexion looked to both of them and smiled a little. "Thanks. Tomorrow, after the Knights come back for the rest of the wounded, we'll leave for Kazas."

* * *

The new First Knighthood came early in the morning and carefully pulled all of the wounded knights out of Seles. Zexion made sure they were careful with all of them, especially Xaldin, before sending them back to Bale. He went back into the house that the group had slept in, and found Paine sitting at the table slicing up bread for the men that were still asleep. "I never thought you the type to take care of other people," Zexion said, sitting down across from her.

She shrugged his shoulders and said, "I used to travel a lot, with a group of people who had huge appetites. It's been a long time, but it's kinda nice knowing that I have another group to show around."

Zexion bit the corner of his lip. "You don't look older than twenty-five, Paine. How long ago did you leave that group?"

Steps interrupted her from answering as Roxas walked into the room, dark circles under his eyes. He sat down next to Zexion and put his head down on the table, and then Paine said, "Don't start sleeping now. We need you awake incase something happens."

Roxas picked his head up and groaned at her. She smirked and started frying the bread in whipped up eggs she found out in the next-door chicken coop. Zexion patted his back and wondered what it was the boy dreamed about to keep him up all night.

Axel and Xigbar came down the stairs a little while later, talking and laughing at each other's jokes and humorous experiences. Xigbar was slipping on his wristbands while he sat down, and Axel was tying the leather string that carried his Dragoon Spirit around his neck.

"You don't sleep with it on?" Paine asked.

"It's next to me," Axel said.

"You should keep it on at all times," she said. "It can't protect you if it doesn't have skin contact."

"I wish it did a better job," Roxas groaned.

Xigbar looked over at the blond and jumped in his seat. "You look like shit, kid!"

Axel didn't look.

"I didn't sleep more than half and hour last night," Roxas explained.

Axel winced. He kept his gaze to the table.

"It happens," Paine said. She put a platter of the egg-fried bread on the table and the men all grabbed for a piece, except for Axel. He excused himself and left the house. Roxas ate his breakfast quickly and then went outside to find Axel.

"Axel!" Roxas called around town. He was starting to get dizzy, but the light from the sun was helping his headache, and he could feel the White-Silver dragon's spirit humming on his chest, warming him up and giving him an energy boost to keep looking for Axel. He asked everyone if they'd seen the redhead, and most pointed toward the forest, and he went into the woods.

The trees around him were taller than he remembered them being, back when he was thirteen. Actually, Roxas hadn't come into the forest alone since Axel left, and he had to admit that if he didn't have the White-Silver dragon humming and calming him down, he would have turned around. Going around here, alone… still made him uneasy. He stayed on the path and listened for Axel's footsteps, but then remembered that Axel might be flying, and that if that were the case, he was listening for the wrong thing.

Roxas came to a part of the path where it crossed a gorge by a large, felled tree. The tree was very rounded, and there were only a few branches that he would be able to catch himself with if he tripped.

The stone around his neck hummed louder, and Roxas smiled. He let the dragon take over and he flew across the gorge, landing gently on the other side. The dragon retreated back, and his wings disappeared. He looked around, and saw that there was one tree, back in the woods, that was black. Immediately, Roxas thought of Axel, and called out for his friend. "Axel!" he yelled, and a flock of birds left their roost in the trees around him. Hearing no response, he said, quieter, "Where is he?" and continued his way down the path.

"Roxas!"

The blond turned around, and saw Paine, Xigbar, and Zexion making their way across the felled tree. Zexion was still flying, so he didn't trip, and Paine was off the tree, leaning against a tree, watching Xigbar balance on the tree. He fell once, but Zexion caught him and brought him the rest of the way across the gorge. The three of them caught up with Roxas, and Paine asked him if he'd seen Axel yet.

"No," Roxas said. "It's like he doesn't want to be found…"

"Or you're not looking hard enough," Xigbar said. He pointed behind Roxas, and the blond turned around, and there was Axel, facing away from the four of them. Roxas smiled and ran up to Axel's side, the other three following behind him slowly. When he reached the redhead, he gently touched his fingers, and felt that Axel's skin was burning up, and Roxas flinched.

"It's going to rain soon," Axel whispered. Roxas tilted his head and kept looking at Axel, hoping the man was lying, but he wasn't. The sky in the west was dark.

"Why'd you run out?"

Axel shook his head and started walking. Paine came up and walked next to him, Xigbar smiling sadly at the blond while he, too, passed him; Zexion walked with Roxas at the back of the group, tripping every so often.

* * *

The Black Castle was really just a big maze, and the five stayed close and silent while they snuck around. Xigbar proved to be extremely helpful when he showed that he could sneak up behind a guard and snap its neck quietly and without alerting it's buddy until it was his turn.

Finally, the statue of the late Empress was in sight, and the staircase around it, Zexion knew led to Doel's throne room. "This is it," he said, "If you want to turn around, go ahead. I won't think any less of you to leave."

But, none of the other Dragoons even shifted their feet backwards. Zexion nodded and started forward, but the floor shook and he stepped back, seeing a beast of a man advancing upon them. "Is that…?"

"Lexaeus," Axel said, pulling Roxas back behind him.

Lexaeus was wearing thick brown metal armor and sporting a sinister grin as he raised his large tomahawk. He looked like he was ready to fight them now. He had been surprised last time by the Dragoons, but not this time. This time he had his brother's armor and he wasn't going to lose and by blocking the way to Doel it insured that they battled.

"So he knew we were coming," Rose said and she stepped forward indicating that she was ready for the fight. Axel was ready and standing next to Paine. Zexion and Roxas stood behind them but Xigbar moved to the front with Axel and grinned.

"This time I am ready for you," Lexaeus said pointing at Axel. "I've been training in my brother's armor since our last battle in Hoax."

"Armor huh?" Xigbar said looking Lexaeus over and then looking at Axel. Suddenly the man drew back his tomahawk and charged. They all jumped aside and watched him go right for Zexion.

Zexion tripped as Lexaeus reached him. Xigbar ran forward and jumped on Lexaeus's back. This was enough of a distraction that Roaxs could pull Zexion away from the area. Lexaeus reached behind himself and tried to grab Xigbar but the other pushed off with his legs making Lexaeus stumble forward. He quickly recovered and took a swing at Xigbar who bent backwards. He watched the Tomahawk skim above him and then he rolled backwards dodging it again and then rolling through Lexaeus's legs.

Xigbar had him so distracted he did not see Axel behind him in the air charging his Final Burst spell. Xigbar jumped back and saw Axel, and then jumped up and landed on the man's shoulders and jumped away as Axel charged. Lexaeus turned and shielded himself with his tomahawk and was slammed into the wall. He lowered his weapon and grinned as Axel landed. He saw the look of shock across the red head's face and charged. He knocked Axel back and then brought his tomahawk down on him.

Xigbar jumped in and pulled the two daggers from his belt and crossed their flat sides over his wrists and blocked the attack form the weapon. Axel blinked and was temporary shocked by Xigbar's physical strength to be able to out power someone of Lexaeus's build. Paine's black orb spell shot from behind them and knock Lexaeus back but he recovered quickly. It was sure that he meant business.

Lexaeus looked at the group quickly. He needed to strike someone, someone that would cripple the group. His eyes fell on Roxas and he remembered him from Hoax. He had been the youth that came from the hotel, the one that Axel cared about. He put his tomahawk on his back and ran forward with all his speed. Everyone tensed but he leapt clean over them and grabbed Roxas.

Zexion was knocked to the side and then looked up to see Roxas's capture. He jumped back and let his wings unfold as the Dragoon took to him. Roxas struggled, trying to get out of Lexaeus's grip. He saw Axel, but he was too far away at the moment, everything had happened too fast. Zexion threw his hands up and Lexaeus was thrown to the side from a gust of wind and dropped Roxas.

Xigbar ran forward and caught the teen then threw him aside as the tomahawk was thrown in their direction. Zexion dodged only barely and looked down below to see Xigbar and Lexaeus locked in hand to hand combat. Compared to the massive man Xigbar looked rather pathetic because he was much thinner and shorter then Lexaeus but it was still incredible to see him able to hold his own like this.

Axel landed and helped Roxas to his feet, and then looked at Paine who nodded. "Roxas we're going to need your help," Axel said and Roxas nodded and transformed. The four dragoons flew back and Zexion drew back his hand as Axel summoned a fire ball, Paine a Shadow orb and Roxas a light orb.

Xigbar glanced at a suit of armor and saw the Dragoons behind him charging their spells. "Whoops time to go." He threw his hands down making Lexaeus stumbled forward and he dived out of the way as the three visible spells were propelled thanks to Zexion at the armored man.

Lexaeus we thrown back across the hall and hit the wall. His armor was cracked but he still got up. He walked slightly and stumbled to the ground in front of them. "Do it, kill me." He said looking at the ground. "Even with my brother's armor I couldn't defeat you… Your power was much too strong. End it now."

"As you wish," Paine said raising her sword.

"No," Axel said grabbing her wrist. Her look was one that could kill. "No, enough killing already, there has already been enough bloodshed." Paine gave him a dirty look and walked away transforming back. The others did the same and followed her.

"Why?" Lexaeus asked and Axel who had just turned to leave looked back down at him.

"There has been enough killing already," he turned away and his mind went to Xaldin. Would have he sided with Paine? No he wouldn't have, Xaldin was noble and he wouldn't do it. "Just don't forget what you are fighting for." Axel ran up the path to his group and left Lexaeus alone where he had fallen.

His mind moved to his brother and his family and then to everything that happened. His body was beaten down and damaged but Axel's words rang in his head and confused him. _Remember what you are fighting for._

* * *

Across the room, a well-built man stood on a raised platform, and Zexion narrowed his eyes at the man, knowing him to be his uncle. The same one that killed his father and divided his kingdom. The man had his head turned toward the window, so he didn't notice when the five of them entered the room and started stalking forward. "Doel!!!" Zexion yelled, and his Dragoon Spirit glowed brightly, and he pushed a strong gust towards his uncle, and then he sprinted the rest of the way, transforming as he went, and flying the last ten meters.

He had meant to catch Doel off-guard with the first gust and then at least manage a cut with this second wind slice, but Doel picked up one of the swords next to him and swung it at Zexion, knocking him back. Roxas quickly reacted as he should and rushed to Zexion's side to heal him, his Spirit glowing bright white while Zexion's back slowly stopped aching.

"I was wondering if you would ever come," the man said, walking towards them. "This generation seems to produce far too many daredevils." He put his swords away in their sheathes at his side, and continued, "Zexion, you remind me so much of my dear brother, twenty years ago."

Zexion narrowed his eyes at Doel, and stood up with Roxas's help. Paine, Axel and Xigbar all came and stood beside the two of them. The Dragoons all felt the twitch begin in their fingertips, the twitch of a fight ready to start. "Why did you kill him? You divided Serdio by killing my father, for what?" Zexion yelled at the advancing man.

"Carlo was incapable of ruling this land, and so I relieved him of the position. I _saved_ Serdio twenty years ago," Doel explained.

"Saved?" Axel asked. "What you're doing is only destructive!"

"All you've done is brought sorrow, pain, agony, and anger to the people of Serdio!" Roxas said.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Doel said. "It is all the will of the reborn Emperor Diaz."

Paine gasped quietly, but then spoke up, "That can't be! Emperor Diaz died in the Dragon Campaign, a hero!"

But Doel just laughed. "It doesn't matter if you believe or not, you will not live to see the great rule of Diaz," he said. He drew his swords and a gem glowed from his pocket. "You thought, you could defeat me with greater numbers? You will all die!"

He ran and the room glowed bright purple as he sprouted wings and charged at Zexion. Paine recognized the armor immediately as the Violet Dragoon. Roxas was the quickest to react to Doel's attack, transforming and crossing his swords in front of his chest and blocking the attack for Zexion. The other three took the extra seconds to light the room up with red, black, and green light while Xigbar jumped onto Doel's back and gripped around the man's neck tightly. He jerked backwards and pulled the man away from Roxas, but Doel flew upwards and slammed Xigbar into the ceiling.

Zexion caught the falling man in a gust of wind and eased him to the floor, and Axel and Paine took Doel on and away from Roxas and Zexion while they healed Xigbar. Axel danced around and caught various bits of Doel's armor while Paine swung her sword defensively, pushing through every now and again.

Roxas pushed his magic forward to heal Xigbar quickly, and soon the man opened his eyes through the fading pain and stood up. Zexion was watching the other two Dragoons fighting his uncle in the air, and looked to Roxas and wondered if the teen was ever going to join the fight. But, Roxas seemed to be preoccupied with making sure that Xigbar was fine.

Seeing his chance to finally fight his uncle effectively, Zexion took to the air and pushed a gust of wind at Doel, pushing him away from both Paine and Axel and then rushing past them and punching and kicking at the man, giving him no chance to block. With one final kick and a last gust of wind, Zexion pushed Doel down to the ground, where he lay sprawled out quietly for a minute, still in his Dragoon armor.

Zexion breathed heavily while his uncle turned over. Axel and Paine both watched silently, their wings flapping every now and then to keep up in the air. Roxas looked up at Axel, met his eyes, and smiled. Maybe, this was the end? It was over?

Xigbar tried to put out his arm to stop Roxas from moving toward the body, but Roxas was too quick. He had already made it over and was kneeling beside Doel, his wings tucked behind him and his swords dismissed. He wet his fingers and stuck them by Doel's nostrils, waiting for a breath that told him they weren't done. But, no such breath came.

So, he looked up at Axel and waved him down, which he did. Zexion and Paine stayed in the air a little longer.

Paine noticed it first. "Roxas, get back!!!"

Doel reached over and put his hand on Roxas's stomach, and blasted the teen with a stream of electricity. Roxas fell back into Xigbar, groaning quietly before the Dragoon Spirit shined brightly and his armor faded along with his consciousness.

Axel stopped thinking. He just attacked. Charged at Doel and interchanged between slicing with his chakrams and lighting the man's armor with his fire.

Paine and Zexion both flew down to where Roxas lay cradled in Xigbar's lap, and Zexion turned and watched for any opening he could get in and attack from the distance. Paine looked over her shoulder and focused on Doel while she whispered, "_Astral Drain_," and felt the life energy flow out of Doel and into her palm. She put her hand to Roxas's chest, looked at Xigbar, and said, "Hold him down. This will hurt him."

Xigbar nodded and grabbed Roxas's arms and pinned them behind his back, and then Paine let the energy she collected flow into him. Almost immediately, his eyes scrunched and he hissed and arched in pain. But, at least he was awake.

After he had calmed down enough that his breathing was labored, but he could sit up on his own, Paine left and dragged Zexion behind her while they went in to help Axel. But, Axel had it all under control, and by the time the two of them were in striking distance, Axel had taken his chakrams and made wheels of fire out of them, then backed up a ways and charged in at Doel.

The man was pushed back, his armor faded away in a bright flash of light, and he laid on the ground heaving. Zexion hovered over to his uncle and placed his head in his lap. Doel had a hole in his stomach and his forehead had plenty of open wounds. It almost saddened him to see his uncle in such a state, but he knew it was for the good of his Kingdom.

"You are much stronger than Carlo," Doel gasped out.

Zexion narrowed his eyes. "Stop comparing me to my father," he said. "It is past."

"True…" Doel said. "Pursue Riku, nephew. He is in Tiberoa, to the west. He… he knows everything. Go, and find out about the world, about everything."

Doel's entire body went limp, and his breath escaped his body. Zexion slipped out from underneath the body and looked over to the other four, gathered away from where he was still kneeling beside his uncle. Axel was fussing over Roxas, making sure he was alright, that he wasn't hurting anymore, and Roxas was smiling and waving his concerns off. Xigbar and Paine were watching him, turned away from the young pair.

Zexion looked back at Doel's body and sighed. Whether he had killed his father or not, Doel was still family. He would have to arrange for a proper ceremony to take place soon, and he really hoped that Doel was resting peacefully. He gently placed his hand on Doel's chest for a moment, and then stood up and walked over to the rest of his group.

He got halfway across the room and saw the bright light on Doel's body, rising up and moving across the room to the group of four. Paine stood back, and Axel and Roxas stopped talking for a moment to see the Dragoon Spirit of the Violet Dragon settle in Xigbar's grasp.

Zexion jogged over, and everyone smiled. Especially Xigbar. "Hey, does this mean that I'm no longer useless?" he asked Paine.

She sighed. "There's an old saying, 'When Dragoons meet, blood will flow, and as they leave, time does slow.' It's your choice to leave your fate behind."

Xigbar punched the air and felt the Violet Dragon in his hand send a slight shock down his arm and he smiled. "Oh, hell yeah, I'm a Dragoon!!!" Roxas and Axel were both happy for him and started talking about training and what attacks they could come up with now that they had a thunder-element on their team.

Zexion let them celebrate, looking at Paine after they had calmed down. "Riku's gone to Tiberoa," he said. "If we are going to find out what he's planning with the Moon Gem, we have to follow him."

Paine and Axel nodded. She said, "Then we'll restock in Lohan, and then keep moving westward."

Axel looked at Xigbar and then at Paine. "When does he get trained? I wanna see what he can do!"

Roxas looked between them all and smiled. Zexion caught his eye and smiled back. He could get used to all this travelling, if it meant that he would spend time with this bunch of people.

* * *

Disclaimer: Spork owns everything. _Duh._

Cy: Ok! Don't kill me. I got halfway through and then I was like, "Shit, I lost it." Inspiration, I mean. But, it came back. Getting Twitter and telling myself to update on it everyday about what I'm writing helped enormously. Stay tuned in for Veroxen's chapter, chapter 13! kudos to Veroxen for writing the fight scene with Lexaeus.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 13

Xigbar hopped around across the rocks and looked around. He was randomly stretching this morning. They were a few days from the capital of Tibeora and Paine had stopped them for a mandatory training session. Xigbar sat down and stretched his legs and lay back in the semi sandy ground. He smiled at the annoyed look on Paine's face. Ever since he wanted to join she hadn't really liked him and now that he was a Dragoon she liked him even less than before.

Zexion looked rather unconcerned from his spot. He had brought a book back in Lohan, and now was totally lost in it. Axel watched Zexion with an odd look, biting his cheek; he didn't get the idea of pleasure reading, or reading at all. Roxas was just looking around when he caught a glimpse Xigbar who was hanging upside down in a tree and grinning. Roxas laughed and everyone looked at him.

"What's the matter Roxy? Never hung upside down before?" Axel looked to Xigbar and smiled.

"And when the blood rushes to your head and you either pass out or die it won't be any of our faults," Zexion said without looking up from his book. Xigbar laughed and folded his arms and swung a little.

"I guess you don't know me as well as you think you do," he said and chuckled. "I never get any side effect of being upside down." He grinned at Axel who nodded. "Axel knows what I am talking about don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well if you are done acting like a child get down here we need to get you trained." Paine said irritably.

"If it is anything like what happened when we originally tried, I'm going very far away," Zexion said closing his book with a snap and he jumped down and walked away only to trip. "Fuck you, ground!" he muttered angrily. He was tired of it tripping him. Xigbar chuckled. "Shut up, Xigbar!"

"Looks like the King is upset," he said reaching down and picking Zexion clean off the ground and helping him to a place to sit. Zexion immediately jumped back and fell backwards.

"Don't touch me, Xigbar!" Xigbar blinked and then looked at his hand to see the electricity pulse through his fingers and then die.

"Oops sorry, dude... didn't mean it," he said, and then looked at Paine who looked as if she would rather not do this- or kill him to prevent her from having to do this.

"Axel you know what we need to do," Paine said sounding really annoyed as Xigbar raced away. She transformed and so did Axel. Paine had taught Axel to deflect minor lightening attacks, because when Xigbar had transformed the first time he made a storm of electricity around them and had caused many problems. Now, being in the desert, they were hoping that the likelihood of that happening again was small, but they were taking caution anyway.

"Alright, Xigbar," Axel yelled. He looked to Paine who looked up as thunder rumbled over head. Xigbar jumped backwards and the lightening rushed through him and created his black and violet armor. His armor was much like Paine's and Axel's- thick and made for fighting, not defending. Zexion looked at him with a very annoyed look. It was hurtful for him to be only made for defense and Xigbar was one of the main fighters.

"Well, we actually get to see where you belong on the battlefield." Paine seemed a bit more satisfied to have another fighter rather than another defender.

"Sweet stuff," Xigbar said looking at his armored body.

"Sweet black head band too," he said, taking it off and then putting it back on. Axel was a little apprehensive about approaching him though. Unlike himself and the others, Xigbar had a very unstable element. That meant that it would constantly be running through his body and armor, and to get to close would mean to be shocked.

"Okay, now that we got this settled. Land, Xigbar," Paine ordered. Xigbar let his wings fold back and gently touched down on the ground and looked a little disappointed. "Good. Now you can't shock us." She landed and walked to him. Xigbar stood there while she examined his armor and then she stood back. Unlike the other two she had nothing that could be used against him to make him fight, let alone push him to his limit. She then walked away and spotted Roxas. She could get Axel to fight him by using Roxas and Zexion.

Roxas and Zexion were now talking amongst themselves, completely unaware of what was going on. Paine looked at Axel whose eyes narrowed. He seemed to know something wasn't right. Paine knew that if she could make the two defenders unable to help out, and make the attackers be the defenders, that would teach them some new skills and maybe get Xigbar to be more serious on what is going on and what it meant to be a Dragoon. Paine turned her back to Xigbar and he immediately seemed to know what was going to happen.

He did not like the way that Paine taught them how to use their powers. It got the job done, and that was great, but as a trainer himself he knew that there was a limit on how hard a heart could be pushed. He saw Paine summon the black orb.

Xigbar thought quickly, remembering what Axel had told Roxas and Zexion about concentrating about their weapons and their element. He raised his hands and looked at the two things in his hands. He smiled and flew back fast and took aim. He pulled the trigger and watched the red darts of electricity fly. They hit Paine the back making her freeze. Roxas and Zexion looked up and saw that Paine had been aiming at them and they dived out of the way and hid behind a large bolder. Axel turned to Xigbar and gave him a look of horror.

Paine was allowed to move and she rounded on Xigbar and she did not look pleased. Xigbar smiled and his look was one that Axel knew all too well and never wanted to receive . As he looked at the two fighters he suddenly realized that he would need to take a side and then he stopped. _Xigbar of course, _he thought,_ that's not even a question._

Paine raced forward and Xigbar raised his guns for another shot and let loose a barrage. Paine dodged but a few hit her and slowed her down. Xigbar flew up with amazing speed and Paine missed with all her spells. Paine was getting really frustrated with Xigbar and the fact that he was getting the hang of charging the electricity in his body and expelling it at her, slowing her down and deflecting her spells.

"How does Xigbar know how to do that?" Zexion asked sounding astonished.

"Xigbar is a martial arts master, so he knows what he calls "The Movements of Ancient times," when people could use magic freely. In fact, if you noticed gravity doesn't seem to affect him sometimes, in the sense that he can jump much higher than you would think and the fact that his fall is rather slow," Axel said, looking at Xigbar. "That explains why he can move so freely. Maybe the Dragoon is enhancing that ability as well. As for the electricity, like I said he knows the movements so I guess he just adds to his ability and knowledge to express the lightening." Zexion glanced at Axel, almost impressed that he spoke using logic.

The battle continued and was only stopped by Axel when he noticed Xigbar getting tired. That night there was tension. Paine being out-maneuvered by Xigbar had really pushed her buttons, and they all decided that it was best not to mention it again.

The capital, Fletz, was a very busy place and very warm. The people were all wearing bright colors and running around or selling strange fruit that they had never seen. Axel pulled at neckline of his shit, and could feel a burning sensation. The air was so humid that it was beginning to bother him. Paine noticed this, but said nothing. She felt that he needed to get over it and gain water's full respect already. Even Roxas had gotten over his nightmares.

Roxas and Xigbar were having a good time, running through the streets and looking at the shops and examining the different things for sale. Paine greatly disliked this behavior; after all, they were searching for Riku, not for food. Zexion, like Axel and Paine, did not get excited but just examined his surroundings.

They approached the highest spot in the city, which then lead to the castle. A huge crowd had gathered there and then they all panicked. "Oh no! It's the princess!" Some people cried. Everyone hid, but when they watched the woman come down, the Dragoons looked curiously. She was rather tall and very slender. She had slightly long blond hair but two strands seemed to be sticking up in the front and then pushed back. It was an odd hair style that none of them could describe. She looked around carefully.

"Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Princess Larxene." Axel looked around as everyone cowered at her presence.

"Um what is going on?" he asked the closest citizen.

"Normally, the princess likes to come out and throw daggers at us," he said quietly. "She finds pleasure in our pain." They looked at her as she approached. Everyone in the crowd seemed to be waiting for her to draw her daggers.

"Good afternoon everyone!" She said with a sweet smile and a kind voice. "Lovely day we are having, isn't it?" Axel literally watched all the jaws in the area drop. She smiled sweetly and walked around talking to everyone kindly.

"Well, this is odd indeed," Zexion said and the group looked at him. His face was that of utter surprise. "I've heard a lot about her from her father, when he came to visit a few years ago. She was a terrible person, from the stories I heard." He shivered. "I really do not want to recall what he told me." Axel blinked a few times and then looked at the princess and wondered what she had done in the past to terrify Zexion.

* * *

"Paine, the guards won't let us leave the city," Axel said as they watched the guards walk by. "What are we going to do?" Paine frowned. This was not what they had planned but now they were stuck and they couldn't fight or use their Dragoons to get out. That would create a panic. Axel looked over and saw Xigbar and Roxas talking to an older man who was attempting to carry an arm load of papers and books. Xigbar smiled and shrugged at the man's question and then pointed to Axel, Paine and Zexion. Seeing that they were being called, they walked over.

"Yeah, this is the rest of them. We got Axel, Paine, and Zexion," Xigbar said, pointing to each in turn.

"Hello then, my name is Fester," the man said trying to shake their hands. "Xigbar was just telling me that you might be interested in hearing about the Moon that Never Sets." Axel tilted his head and looked at Xigbar who winked at him. "Well, if you would follow me back to my house I will tell you what I know."

* * *

Fester plopped his books down on the table and then turned to them as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Ah, I am getting old." He chuckled.

"Um, what exactly _is_ the Moon that Never Sets?" Axel asked sounding a little confused. Fester walked over to the telescope that took up most of the building and second floor.

"Look through here and I will explain." They did what they were told. "The Moon that Never Sets is a strange moon indeed, because, as it's name suggests, it never sets. It hangs in the same spot, night and day, but it is only night that you can see it clearly." He paused. "It is connected with an ancient story. It is said that every one-hundred and eight years it glows read and summons a demon to the earth. The black monster." Axel immediately straightened up and Paine turned away.

_Of all times now?_ She thought angrily, but refused to turn back around. "The black monster is connected to the moon?" Axel suddenly demand, and Fester nodded. There was a sudden ringing in the distance and he jumped.

"That time already?" He quickly gathered his things up. "Beg your pardon, my friends, but I am going to be late for the princess's lesson." He looked at them. "My friend down the lane will be more than willing to let you stay in his house. Just mention my name and he will let you in," Fester said, hurrying away.

His friend turned out to be a gardener who was trying to figure out what was wrong with the soil in the country and why it wouldn't produce crops. Roxas had fallen asleep against Axel, who had fallen asleep shortly after getting through the door and sitting down in a corner. Paine stared into space, Xigbar was out like a light, and Zexion talked with the man all night.

* * *

The next morning they woke early and left the city to head to the Flower city that was just through the desert path. Axel was glad to get out of the humid air and back into dry air. It made his feel less sick and not like he was being boiled alive. Xigbar was quiet, but uneasy. His hand was on the handle of a dagger and he felt that danger was close.

Unlike the rest of them, Xigbar had the ability to sense danger that wasn't magical. He stopped and looked around carefully. Axel and Roxas both stopped, making Zexion and Paine who were in front, do the same and turn.

"Xigbar, what's wrong?" Roxas asked sounding rather uneasy at the man's gaze around the canyon.

"Hush, Roxy, I am trying to listen." Axel knew at once that something was close by. Xigbar had done this many times when they were traveling and always, something had come out and attacked them. He turned and looked at the low overhang that was about a thousand feet in front of them. "I think we are being watched," Xigbar said. He scanned the area and walked forward carefully, and then stopped when he was past Paine and Zexion. "There are eyes in the cliffs," he said quietly to Paine. She had apparently just realized that something was with them.

"We better move then," she said sounding rather annoyed. "The last thing we need is things to get in our way." Xigbar waited for the other to pass them and took the rear. Axel was on guard and ready to fight when needed.

It was when they were just getting to the small arch when the people that had been following them came into view. There were seven men. Two of them were archers, two were swordsman, two were fighters who looked like martial arts masters and the seventh was a man who was bent over like a frog. He had a twisted face that was like an imp, and there were clawed hand guards on his hands.

The frog-imp-man cackled and jumped up and down happily. "Looky here!" he cried to his fellow as he bounced. "Travelers! And they look tasty." His eyes landed on Roxas and Axel moved in front of his gaze. "Kill them and take their gold!" He and the four fighters jumped down and charged while the archers took aim.

"Zexion! Roxas! Deal with the archers," Paine said as she, Axel and Xigbar transformed. Xigbar drew his guns and fired at the combat fighters. When the second one didn't fall, he raised his right hand and felt the electricity pulse. The sky grew dark and he threw up his hand. "Atomic mind!" A bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens and obliterated the man below. Xigbar looked at his hand and then at the pile of ashes that used to be a man and grinned; he was liking this Dragoon thing more and more.

Paine easily cut through the swordsman in her path and then turned to see Axel's chakrams take care of the second. Now it was only the frog-imp-man. They both charged spells and fired, but he vanished. "What the hell?" Xigbar looked behind him and saw the man jump for him. He aimed a burst of lightning at him, but he vanished again.

Roxas looked down and saw the man jumping through the rocks at an alarming pace. Zexion also noticed this. Roxas threw his hand into the air. "Star children!" Suddenly burst of light rained down from above and knocked the man to the ground. Zexion then aimed a burst of wind at him so he landed in Axel's line of sight. With a burst of flames the man was slammed into the stone wall, fell to the ground, and didn't move. The Dragoons landed, changed back, and looked at him.

"Pitiful," Paine said without cause and she turned. As they were walking away Xigbar turned and then his yell alerted them. The man was charging at Roxas, and Axel turned and grabbed the man and pushed him back. He felt the blades on his hands side across his neck, but not cutting him. His Dragoon Spirit, however, flew into the air and landed a few feet from where the man landed. He looked down and saw the Dragoon stone, and then jumped for it at the same time Axel did.

"Magpi got the treasure!" He shouted from the cliff and he danced. "Master will be so proud!" and he took off. Paine transformed and shot after him. Axel pounded his hands into the earth angry at himself; he knew that Paine was going to rip him a new one when she got back.

Paine returned shortly after, she had lost him. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU!" she yelled pointing her sword at Axel who jumped back. "KEEP AN EYE ON THE SPIRIT!"

"It's not like I let him take it!" Axel yelled.

"That was a Dragoon Spirit!" she snarled. "And now it's gone." She looked quite deadly and Xigbar sensed something that was going to happen. Paine lashed out against Axel and Xigbar jumped between them and caught the full power of Paine's blade and dark magic.

"XIGBAR!" Axel yelled, from the ground. Xigbar who had transformed stumbled slightly and raised his guns at Paine.

"Chill, Paine," he said angrily. "There is no need to cut off heads." Paine's look was deadly. "That gang lives over past the Valley in the west. That's what they were saying in the capital. Let's just head over to the next town and see what we can dig up on them before we going charging in. Hopefully, they are too stupid to know what it really is and just keep it as a treasure," he said keeping his guns pointed at her. "Now, stand down."

Paine gave Xigbar a death stare, and then walked away. Xigbar lowered his guns and let them disappear with a small spark. He then walked forward and pulled Axel off the ground. "You okay Ax?" Axel nodded, but he didn't look okay. "Chill and relax man, it will all work out," he said patting Axel on his shoulder making the man jump. "Oops, sorry." He chuckled. "I still haven't got that down yet." Axel smiled. "I've got your back, if it makes you feel any better."

"Same here," Roxas said with a smile.

"I will too," Zexion said with a slight smile. Axel smiled back at them all; it was nice to know that the others were on his side. "We should just keep away from Paine for a while."

Axel agreed. "You weren't hurt, were you?" Axel asked Xigbar who grinned.

"Of course not! It will take a lot more to take me down." He laughed and pushed Axel towards the path. "You get some sleep, and you too Roxy. I'll stand guard tonight."

* * *

Riku looked around the area. The place was covered in thick patches of flowers and the air smelled sweet and salty- he was near the ocean now. Butterflies were floating around. He really didn't care for this town, or the people in it. It was just a stop he would be making before he headed to the meeting spot. It would be there that he would receive the second item he desired. He walked calmly through the crowed and was unseen.

Upon reaching a particular place he heard a noise. He turned to see someone crying for help. She was surrounded by the bandits. "You keep walking," they sneered at him.

"Please help me!" the woman begged. Riku turned and faced the five bandits. They turned on him and drew their daggers. He smiled and chuckled as he unsheathed his sword. In the blink of an eye, he was behind them sword drawn and out. He looked up to hear their bodies fall.

* * *

"Wow!" Roxas cried as they walked into the town. He looked around with amazement. The place was covered in flowers in every possible place and they were all beautiful.

"Looks like the bandits are here," Zexion said sounding disgusted as they saw a few walk by, making children retreat into their houses.

"Let's find someone who can tell us about these bandits and where their hideout really is," Paine said in a hiss. She had noticed Xigbar watching and though she didn't like to admit it, he did have her in check when it came to powers and speed. The Violet Dragoon's best ability was to paralyze people so that they would become easier targets for the rest of the group. Xigbar smiled when she walked away and he followed the group at the back.

It was clear that the bandits were causing major problems and it was hard to figure out what to do. After searching a bar, they were informed to ask the mayor. He, however, was reluctant to help them until he realized what they were: strong warriors who had defeated the gang that was terrorizing the path between Fletz and Donau.

"Well, all we have to do is get a pass from the king," Xigbar said as he walked backwards and talked to the group. "And that will allow us to get through that valley, and then to the gang. It means that we can get the Dragoon back." He smiled and looked directly at Paine, who said nothing and made no sign that she cared. Axel had gone from her favorite to below Roxas's rank in the matter of seconds that he had lost his Spirit, and there was little he could do now to make his situation any better.

They were just coming down the steps when they heard a commotion below. "Dude! You _totally_ just touched my ass!"

* * *

Veroxen: first ironic that I used "there was a limit on how hard a heart could be pushed." I didn't know I put this until I did a review. Poor Axel was tossed aside in Paine's mind now that he lost his dragoon. She is so evil *scowls as she looks at Paine* But who could have yelled _you just touched my ass!_ Any guess from the people who know either game!

We don't own this okay? And stop feeding the toasters.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

They looked to their left, where the entrance to a tavern was, to see a group of five men gathered around a blond, teenage boy. He was taller than Roxas, though not nearly as tall as Axel- but counting the hair sticking up in the front, he came close to Axel's height. He wore a bright blue shirt that barely stopped at the top of his pants, which were tight leather. There were a few chains crossing around his hips, and on his feet were over-sized boots. Roxas thought he looked a little goofy, but it worked for him.

The boy was angry, glaring at the group of men around him. One in particular, looked scandalized. "Why, in the name of all things holy, would I touch _your_ ass, kid?"

The angry look disappeared briefly, and the teen pushed his hand through his hair (Roxas gasped, figuring that his hair naturally stood up like that because it just sprung back to it's gravity-defying position, and that was pretty damn cool). "Look, you don't have to scoot around the subject. I know I'm sexy. Just apologize and I'll let it go," he said.

Axel smirked. He was starting to like this kid. A lot of people were starting to gather around the commotion. Paine was getting more annoyed the longer they stayed watching the scene. They had a _Dragoon Spirit_ to get back, and all four of the men were watching the little boy spout lies.

The guys around him all looked at each other. "Is this kid for real?"

The teen lost what little cool he had. Axel, Roxas, and Zexion all saw the teen reach behind him and grab a large sitar off the ground and start to attack the group with it. He swung accurately, and even with his skinny arms, it looked like every attack hurt the men more than it should. The three of them were amazed.

Xigbar looked back at Paine to make sure he wasn't the only one that had seen it. Paine nodded- she had seen it, too. That teen had materialized the sitar out of thin air. He obviously wasn't a normal human, if he was human at all.

Finally, when the last guy was on the ground groaning, the teen took his sitar and seemed to just put it back on his back- but then it was gone. Axel and Zexion caught on to that, but they didn't really get it. Roxas smiled and stepped over the felled men, and tapped the teen on the shoulder. He turned around, and Roxas started talking with the teen about the fight and how it was kind of awesome.

Axel turned back to Paine and Xigbar, and said, "What's with that kid? His sitar just vanished…"

Xigbar nodded. "We'll have to ask him at some point, won't we? But, Roxas might just get to that before we do."

Axel shook his head. "I don't think Roxas noticed."

Roxas and the teen walked back over to them, and Roxas was grinning along with the teen. "Guys, this is Demyx. He's a singer-songwriter and was actually just going to try and venture out past the Valley."

Demyx grinned and nodded. "Yep! I'm going in to fight off those freaks that keep ruining my performance space," he said. His voice was higher-pitched than most guys his size, and nasally. His smile was contagious, and Axel found himself smirking at the childish aura that Demyx had.

"We were planning to go that way, too," Axel said.

"Awesome! We could totally team up and beat those bandits up real bad, huh?"

Paine growled. "We don't have time to deal with a kid," she said, her tone dangerous. Demyx visibly flinched, but the smile barely faded before it was back full force.

"But, I'll bet me and Blondie are about the same age!" He put his arm around Roxas's shoulders and asked, "How old are you, Blondie?"

"Roxas," he corrected.

"Roxas, how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Oh…" Demyx bit his lip. "Well, I'll be seventeen in a few months."

Xigbar folded his arms. "And you can fight that well? At only sixteen?" He was smiling while he inquired this. "I'm impressed."

Demyx flushed brightly, and toed the ground. "I've had lots of practice lately."

Paine groaned. "Boys. _We are leaving now._" She and Zexion started to walk away. Axel shrugged, and he and Xigbar followed.

Roxas stayed beside Demyx, whose lips were turned down and his eyes were watery. Roxas bit his lip, and patted Demyx's arm. "If you can keep up, you can come," he said, and then jogged after his fellow Dragoons.

Demyx smiled and joined the group.

* * *

The gate to the valley was locked when they got there, but Demyx was quick to find a way around the doors and lead the other five into the area.

"Hey, Demyx?" Zexion asked. "Do you happen to know what happened with Princess Larxene?"

Demyx turned around and started walking backwards for a bit. "About half a year ago, she and the other princess went out for a horse ride. The rumors go, that her horse bucked and ran away, and she hit her head on a rock. When she came to, she was just… nicer. Like, a completely different person," he explained.

Xigbar laughed. "No one makes that big a change with just a bump on the head."

Demyx shrugged. "It's what I know," he said. "But, I think it's connected with the bandit outbreak we've had."

Axel tilted his head to the side. "How so?"

"The bandit problem only surfaced half a year ago, _after_ Princess Larxene changed," Demyx explained.

"Demyx, turn around!" Roxas gasped, just as the other blond was about to step off the path. Demyx stopped where he was walking, but stooped his foot down a little anyway. Then, he smiled, and stepped off of the path, into the valley of nothingness below. Roxas ran forward, ready to call on his Dragon to go and get him, but Demyx floated back up, along with a few pebbles.

Axel and Xigbar both looked at each other with eyes that said _we should do that some time!_ Zexion walked forward and leaned over the edge, feeling the up-draft of… well, he couldn't really place it. "What the…?"

Paine uncrossed her arms and explained, "This valley was one of the battlefields between the Dragoons and the Winglies. The collision between the magic powers distorted the gravity around here." She walked over to Demyx and poked him in the chest- she was just a little shorter, but still intimidating. "We have something we have to retrieve. Next time you wanna pull a stunt that's going to cost us time, make sure it'll kill you, so I don't have to deal with you anymore."

She walked past them all, and for the first time since loosing his Dragoon Spirit, she yelled specifically at Axel, "Hurry up, Axel! The longer we stall, the less I see the purpose for you even _living_."

Axel bit his lip and followed, Roxas quickly after him, and then Xigbar frowning. Zexion was still intrigued by the lack of gravity in that one spot, and Demyx tapped his shoulder. "Wanna try it?"

Zexion shook his head. "Gravity hates me enough as it is. I don't need to be tempting it by stepping off the rocks that at least _have_ gravity." He then turned and followed the rest of the Dragoons (and Axel), Demyx following behind him silently.

"What's so scary about gravity?" Demyx said, finally, and then Zexion started to hear his footsteps.

And then it hit him- no one had told Demyx what they were. As far as Demyx was concerned, the four Dragoons were a bunch of warriors, looking for something dreadfully important. Demyx didn't know that Zexion, being the Wind Dragoon, had this issue with tripping everywhere once upon a time, or that the reason that Paine was so angry at Axel was because he had lost his weapon, one that had been around for 11,000 years.

For once in his life, Zexion didn't know what to say. They had been trying to hide the fact that they were Dragoons from commoners, so what could he tell Demyx? The blond _was_ traveling with them, and he was a little stronger than most people.

"Well, I went through this week-long period where walking was dangerous- I just kept tripping," Zexion said. He hoped it would be enough.

It must have been, because Demyx didn't say anything else.

* * *

They were taking a quick rest, near a collection of rock fireflies. Roxas was letting his Dragoon Spirit shimmer under his shirt, letting its calming affect wash over him. Axel and Xigbar were laughing about an experience that the older man had had when he was traveling, Zexion was talking with Demyx about what was going on in Tiberoa, and Paine… was being Paine.

And then… that same whispery voice… Roxas remembered it quite clearly, and he looked around, hoping that it was just a trick. But, no, Roxas heard it again, saying something about the God and how it needed to defend it from the dragons. He looked over to Paine, and seeing that she was just staring at the ground, turned instead to Axel.

But, Axel was very involved in his conversation with Xigbar.

So, Roxas stood up and walked toward where he heard the voice- farther on, where they hadn't walked yet. As he walked, every step seemed to echo in his ears and the voice became more urgent- "COME CLOSE… CLOSER… AWAKEN, MY GOD… AWAKEN ME…" Roxas didn't notice his steps becoming hastier, and then he was running, turning around in circles and stopping and running again.

"Where are you?" he called. "Why are you talking to me?"

"MUST… PROTECT…"

Roxas pulled at his hair, knelt on the ground. The voice was getting louder, almost booming in his head. He looked all around him frantically; whatever was calling for him, it needed help, and it wanted to help someone.

Roxas knew in his gut that it was another virage, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. Maybe it was just that first virage that was angry, and this one wouldn't attack him or his friends. Or, maybe he's hearing things.

"Roxas!"

He looked up, turned around, and saw Axel running toward him, Xigbar and Paine close behind.

"THE DRAGONS… WILL NOT HARM MY GOD!"

"No!" Roxas stood up, ran toward the other Dragoons and screamed, "Virage! Don't come any-!"

The ground broke under him. Instincts kicked in, and he transformed, catching himself among the now floating debris, and pushed off a floating rock to get Axel. After grabbing Axel's hand and making sure he was on a secure spot, Roxas looked back around and saw a gray virage, twice as tall as the last one, standing up with floating rocks all around it.

"Roxas…"

The blond looked up at Axel, and saw the worry in his eyes. Roxas only smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm a Dragoon, too, y'know." Roxas lifted himself into the air, as the other three Dragoons took off to fight it, and said, "I'll be back," with a smile. He leaned in and kissed Axel's cheek, then summoned his swords and flew into the fight.

Xigbar looked and smiled. "Roxy! Get the head!" he said as he took a few shots at the virage's left arm. Roxas pushed and flew up to the head, and started to stab and slash at its face. It recoiled every time Roxas made contact, and he could hear it screaming in his head.

"CAN'T… MUST… AWAKEN THE GOD!"

"Shut up!" Roxas yelled and stabbed the virage's mouth.

Paine sliced off the right arm, and Zexion caught it in a gust of wind and threw it aside. _So much for not telling Demyx_, he thought. He curled into himself and spun a gust of wind around him, and then pushed the magic off- a quick damage-reflection for Paine, who was about to get slapped with the other arm.

And, his magic got to her in time that she didn't even feel it.

Demyx was stepping from rock to rock, and finally got over to where Roxas had left Axel. "Hey, what's going on? How did they do that?"

Axel sighed. "They're Dragoons," he said. "The creature they're attacking is called a virage; it's got this thing against the Dragoons."

To his amazement, Demyx just nodded and went back to watching the fight. Seeing those four battle… Demyx knew he'd just get in the way if he tried anything. Axel knew it, too, and so he just kept back and waited for it all to be over.

Xigbar pulled back a little, called for the other Dragoons to back up, and sent a beam of electricity at the virage. Roxas and Paine also did this, with their own element, and Zexion threw sharp gusts of wind at it. The virage fell to one knee, and then lifted its left arm- badly hurt, but still attached- towards Roxas. The blond didn't notice; he was busy sending a healing spell to Xigbar (the beam he had sent out had tired him more than a little).

So when the beam started to glow, Zexion started to form a protection spell. But, he knew it wouldn't be quick enough. "Roxas!"

The blond looked down at the virage, seeing that he was being targeted, the little green dot right in the middle of his chest. He gasped. The spell wasn't ready- Xigbar would only take a few more hits before he would fall, if he didn't get healed.

"MY GOD… THE DRAGONS CORRUPT MY GOD…"

Roxas shook his head, pushed the spell away toward Xigbar, and started to fly, but the beam caught his lower stomach.

Axel started running towards where Roxas would most likely land, calling his name.

But it was Paine that got to him first. She had dived toward the spiraling teen just as the armor had left his body. She screamed, but… not for him.

"_Shana!"_

She grabbed his arms, pulled up and slung him over her shoulder before calling back to Xigbar and Zexion, "Take care of the virage!" She settled down on the ground, and saw that both Axel and Demyx were jumping from rock to rock to get to where she had set Roxas down. Paine took a good look at Roxas, and couldn't see how she had mistaken him for _her_, but she had.

A quick shake of the head and she lifted her hand toward the virage. "_Astral Drain!_" she said, and took some life energy from the virage and gave it to Roxas, who then started to lean up on his elbows.

"Paine?" It was weak, just a whisper, but… it was more than she had gotten the last time…

She stood up. She had to live _now_, and forget about what happened then. "Hurry up, would you?" Paine pushed off and went back to the fight.

Axel dropped next to Roxas on the ground and asked if he was all right. Roxas smiled, "Just got distracted," and then tried to stand up. He tapped into the White-Silver Dragon, and the Spirit shimmered, but wouldn't quite power up. Axel put his arm around Roxas's shoulder and told him to take it easy.

Roxas shook Axel off and started walking toward the virage, which was now kneeling on the ground and was reaching toward Roxas. The blond could hear the booming voice of the virage in his ear, calling for its God to awaken, for the dragons to stop corrupting its God. Roxas felt Zexion and Xigbar touch down next to him, and Paine on the other side of Xigbar. Axel and Demyx were close behind, but Roxas didn't pay any attention.

He fingered his Spirit, and then took the necklace it was attached to off and handed it to Zexion with a whispered, "If anything happens, you can tap into it and use its magic."

Zexion was about to ask what Roxas was talking about, but the blond started running toward the virage. Axel screamed for him to come back, but Roxas didn't hear.

"MY GOD… PROTECT THE GOD…" The virage leaned down and reached for Roxas.

"What am I to you?" Roxas stopped and felt very weak in front of the virage without his Spirit. Maybe that had been a bad idea…

"COME CLOSER… MY GOD… MUST PROTECT…"

"I'm not your 'god'!"

As the virage started to slip off the cliff- a part of the valley where gravity was just fine- he reached once more for Roxas, but the Light came from his chest and glowed bright blue. The Light shot out in a beam and shoved the virage off the cliff.

He fell to his knees and covered his face. _Why did they keep calling him that?_ A hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Xigbar on one knee next to him.

"You okay, Roxy?"

Roxas shook his head. "I… I need Axel," he whispered. No sooner had he said it was Axel kneeling in front of him and pulling him close. Roxas shivered; he was so scared of that damn Light! Axel petted his hair and shushed him and told him the virage was gone, but nothing was helping with the chills of fear.

That virage had called him a god… _'My God'_ it had said… and it wasn't Roxas just hearing stuff- it had happened with the other virage, too.

What was happening? What _was_ he?

* * *

They were walking again after finally getting out of the Valley. Demyx and Zexion were leading the way with Xigbar and Axel right behind them. Roxas was standing just behind Axel, with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes on the ground. Paine brought up the back of the group, watching Roxas and thinking about everything that was going on.

_There's something wrong with that boy,_ she thought. _He must see it; everyone else does._

But, what of the virage? She had heard Roxas yell something about how he wasn't a 'god', but it didn't make any sense. Of course, Roxas heard something that none of the others could, but could it be the virage's voice? Paine knew that no one in history had ever been recorded with the ability to talk to the virage- so, then, why Roxas?

And, more still, _why_ were the virages suddenly awakening? She wondered if it was related to the same thing that was calling all of the Dragoons to battle again… or, again, if Roxas was involved.

Once more, they stopped to rest; this time, because it was getting dark. Roxas leaned against Axel's side and fell asleep almost immediately. Zexion had hugged his knees to his chest and was alternating between nodding off and watching the fire. Demyx was curled up next to Xigbar, who was sitting cross-legged on Axel's other side. Paine laid down on her back, kicked her ankle up over her knee, and stared at the sky, trying not to think of the virage and Roxas.

Axel looked between Xigbar and Paine and asked which one wanted first watch. Paine instantly raised her hand, stating that she wasn't tired yet, anyway. Axel nodded, and Xigbar asked her to wake him up when she was ready to sleep. The two men settled down; Axel, pulling Roxas closer to himself and resting his chin on the blond's head, and Xigbar curling around Demyx's head after poking the teen and asking if it was okay.

Paine tried to stop thinking, but it didn't work. All she saw was Roxas falling, after getting hit by the virage, and then it wasn't Roxas anymore, it was Shana, and then _Dart_ screaming for her, and Paine rushing down and grabbing her. Slowly, to the ground, while the others fought above them, and Dart was yelling at her for not getting to Shana in time, and Paine had her face in her hands. She tried to activate the White-Silver Dragon through her own.

But, there was nothing. And Dart hated her.

_Oh, gods, what have I done?_

Paine snapped back and looked over at the fire. It was starting to diminish, so she reached over to the pile and grabbed a few more logs and tossed them on. She sat up and watched the flames lick at the wood, and she shook her head.

It was so long ago, but that was the moment she realized… Dart never cared for her the way he had for Shana… and Shana was always so angry for taking him away! But, she had had him all along.

She looked up at the sky, then over at Xigbar. Finally, she was tired. She sent a tug through her dragoon to the Violet Dragoon, and soon Xigbar was sitting up. She nodded and put her head down on the ground and closed her eyes.

* * *

Paine and Xigbar raced in first, flying overhead and dodging the various attacks that the gang members threw at them. Roxas was next, hovering over Axel and Demyx, guarding them while they ran. Demyx was rather clumsy, but Axel was able to keep picking up the other blond enough to keep them moving. Of course, when Axel wasn't able to keep their balance, Zexion was bring up the rear, and would send out a gust of wind to put them upright again.

After storming the hideout and getting a ways in, Xigbar and Paine finally landed at the foot of a set of stairs. They transformed back, waited for a moment, and saw the other four coming up the hill behind them. When they caught up, Axel sighed, Roxas and Zexion also reverted back to human form, and Demyx leaned over and started panting.

"We almost got hit, like, twenty times getting here!"

Paine groaned. "That's a shame," she said.

"What?"

"That it was _almost_…"

Xigbar pulled on her arm and out of the way of an arrow, spinning her into him and then releasing her. The six of them looked up and saw two archers readying their bows again, and Zexion groaned.

"Please…"

He waved his hand and the wind picked up and carried their bows out of their hands. The archers gasped and cowered. "Brother! Help us out, would ya?"

Another gangster joined the two, but this one was taller, more lithe, and had bandages around his fists. He smirked and started down the steps, not taking his eyes off of the group. When he got down to where he was level with the group, he took a fighting stance and said, "It's been a while since I've got to fight!"

Xigbar gasped. "That stance is Rouge Art!"

The gangster was startled, but didn't relax in his stance. "How'd you-?"

"That'd be my question," Xigbar growled. "That tradition has been handed down in my village for centuries, maybe longer." He stepped forward, and Paine made to follow, but Axel put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Anyone who knows Rouge Art had to have connections from inside the village," Xigbar continued. "Do you know of a young woman named Claire?"

The gangster charged and Xigbar blocked, and then kicked the man in his throat. The gangster fell on the ground, and Xigbar put his foot on his chest. "Answer!"

"No!" the gangster said. "I learned from the Boss, Gehrich!"

Xigbar narrowed his eyes and said, "Gehrich?"

"He used to study it seriously, but was kicked out, like, twenty years ago!"

Xigbar kicked him away, and growled, "Leave." The area was deserted of gang members and Axel stepped forward. Xigbar said, "Gehrich was a fellow student. We were both competing for Grand Master rank, and when I got it instead of him, he flipped shit. Tried messing around with my sister, Claire, and I kicked him out of the school."

Axel nodded. He'd heard of Claire before- she was Xigbar's reason for traveling. But, now, he knew that this Gehrich guy was more than just the leader of a gang that stole his Dragoon Spirit. Defeating him _again_… this was personal to Xigbar.

He looked back at Roxas and kind of understood what Xigbar was going through. No one had dared try to hurt Roxas while Axel was around, but he knew that he'd kill anyone multiple times over for touching _his_ blond.

Zexion spoke up, "We have to keep forward. I'm pretty sure Gehrich is not going to come out his hole now that he knows you are here, Xigbar."

Demyx smiled. "Yeah! Let's go kick some gangster butt!"

Paine groaned and started climbing the stairs, Roxas right behind her. The others followed, and mentally prepared for the fight ahead.

* * *

Disclaimer: It's called _fanfiction_ for a reason…

Cy: hehe… sorry everyone…


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Xigbar looked at the people around him. He liked his new friends and Axel but this was between him and Gehrich. Luckily for him Roxas and Zexion discovered a cave. "Wonder what's inside?" Roxas asked as he looked into the darkness.

"Let's find out," Axel said, looking at Paine, who then agreed.

"You go on ahead," Xigbar said while stretching. "I'll wait here in case any of those gang members come back."

"I'll stay too," Demyx piped up and he turned away from the group. With no objections Axel, Roxas and Paine entered the cave. Xigbar waited until their footsteps died away before coming around behind Demyx . With a swift carefully aimed attack Demyx crumpled to the ground.

Xigbar took off up to the top of the stairs and did not look back. He had only stunned Demyx so he would be around in a little bit. He slowed down as he entered the mouth of the large chamber. He could hear voices in the room.

"That stone must be very important for them to come all the way here!" The high pitch voice of Magpi the little imp man cut the air. Xigbar walked around the corner with his arms at his side. Magpi jumped and stared at Xigbar. The man in the large chair looked up. He was wearing black and green training gear. He looked old and tired but at the sight of Xigbar he stood up.

"Well, if it isn't Gehrich," Xigbar said with no hint of emotion in his voice. "I never thought that you would stoop this low."

"Xigbar," Gehrich chuckled and stepped down off the chair and faced his former friend. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," Xigbar said flatly. There was a long silence in which Magpi looked from Xigbar to his master.

"I did not stoop this low. This is what you made me." He pointed a dagger at his old friend. "If you did not kick me out."

"I kicked you out for several reason and all in the name of protecting my village," Xigbar snarled with a raised fist. "I beat you far and square in our match. Then you though you would mess with my sister so I kicked you out of the school. You abused your training, powers, and abilities. You do not even deserve to call yourself a student of the Rouge arts."

"We will see who is the Grandmaster after this," Xigbar suddenly realized Magpi was missing. He turned and quickly drew his dagger and plunged it into the imps body and tossed him aside only to have to block a wild kick from Gehrich. Xigbar jumped back sheathed his dagger and took his stance.

It was about time that this problem was resolved. As the Grandmaster of the Rouge Arts he could not let anyone with the same knowledge abuse this power.

* * *

Axel looked around. Xigbar was nowhere to be seen. "Why the hell did he do that?" Demyx moaned as he rubbed the back of his head. Roxas was examining the large bruise on Demyx's neck to make sure that nothing was broken.

"Gehrich has been a thorn in Xigbar's side for a long time now," Axel said looking at Demyx. "It's been a long time since he had seen him. There's no doubt he went to fight him alone."

"We should go after him," Paine said not looking at Axel or Demyx. "We can't afford to lose another Dragoon."

* * *

Xigbar ducked under the kick and threw both hands forward into Gehrich's chest sending a powerful electrical current through the man. Paine thought she knew everything but Xigbar had been practicing learning his element during his watches. Now he had figured out how to let lose electrical currents at will. He glanced forward and relaxed the charge only for a moment.

Gehrich fell backwards and twitched slightly. Xigbar stood over him and folded his arms. "You haven't changed at all, Gehrich. You were always a good fighter until you got too greedy with your power." Xigbar shook his head. "Don't you remember the oath that we took together? To protect and serve the people, never to use our fists against the innocent?" Gehrich got to his feet and went right after Xigbar.

"Protect the innocent! I did, I did for years! Don't you remember Xigbar? Protecting them you lost your eye and were rendered immobile for weeks." Xigbar drew back his fists and waited for Gehrich to approach. "I gave my life to the people but what did I get in return?"

"I lost my eye and went through those months of torture and pain because I made a promise. And I _keep_ my promises." He glared at Gehrich. "I kept my word and that was how I beat you." Gehrich came into striking range and Xigbar struck. He threw all his power into the hit and sent Gehrich flying back in a large pillar. He lowered his arms and walked forward. "Kicking you out of the school was because of my own reasons and another. You were so good that I looked up to you for a longest time. You were always so passionate and strong and I admired that but you were tempted by greed and power. You don't know how long I have hated myself for kicking you out." He knelt down to his old friend. "You were always my friend even after what you did and what you became." He stood up and turned and saw Axel and the other running over to him.

"Xigbar, you're alright!" Roxas cheered as he hurried to the older. Xigbar, however, looked away and knelt back down to Gehrich.

"I hated you for what you did to me, but you saw me as a friend after everything I did?" Gehrich asked. Xigbar nodded and placed his hand on Gehrich's shoulder.

"You will always be my brother no matter what you do," Xigbar said smiling to the dying man.

"Please don't waste your breath on me. I must tell you before I die."

"Talking will be the thing that kills you."

"The princess at the castle. She is a fake, the real one was switched." Xigbar blinked and glanced at the others. "She worked with me. She promised us riches. You must stop her. She plans on taking something important from the royal family." His voice trailed away when they heard a loud cracking sound.

All eyes looked up as the massive rock above began to slip from where it had been resting. "Master Xigbar!" Gehrich yelled at the top of your voice. "Run now!" Xigbar stood up but this rock had already fallen. There was no time. Roxas grabbed Axel around the waist Zexion dived to the ground, Demyx put his hands over his head. He and Paine watched it fall and the area grow dark.

Xigbar blinked and looked around. Everyone was still there but the rock was above them. Demyx gasped as he pointed to a man who was twice Xigbar's height. "Lexaeus!" Axel yelled. The man said nothing, he threw the large boulder away from them if it was a bag of feathers then brushed off his hands off.

"Nice catch, dude," Xigbar said grinning at him. Paine immediately summoned her sword and pointed it at him.

"What are you doing here?" Axel said sounding more shocked than anything else.

"I followed you," he said looking at Axel. "You spared my life and you were stronger than me." He paused. "I wanted to learn how to be strong like you." Everyone glanced at each other but Paine seemed unconvinced.

"Well I think we can trust you." Xigbar said looking at him. "You saved our lives after all." He turned around and bent down to Gehrich. "What?" He said soothingly.

"The princess… She is locked in the castle somewhere." Xigbar looked at the other and then back at Gehrich, but he was already dead. Xigbar slid his arms underneath his body and picked him up.

"He still deserves a burial." He glanced at Axel. "You can find the spirit without me?" Axel nodded. Lexaeus stayed up top with Demyx to stand guard while Xigbar went to bury his old friend and the others looked for the missing Dragoon spirit.

* * *

Paine muttered curses under her breath while everyone else searched for the small red stone. Axel pulled through trash and boxes and sifted through sand on the ground and could still not find the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit. He was getting frantic; if he did not find it, then Paine would have his head. Suddenly he stopped. The room went quiet, but for small voice called from a corner. He walked to it.

There, between a few old books, was the Spirit. He reached in and pulled it out of the dust. Immediately it began to glow. The warmth filled him again. It was happy that he had found it. He could sense the loneliness it had been feeling when they were apart.

"It looks happy to see you," Roxas said looking at Axel when the light died down.

"Well, our feelings are mutual then," Axel said glancing at the stone.

"I don't think we have time to think on this." Zexion said moving to the stairs. "Remember the fake princess is going to be getting the Moon Dagger soon." Paine glanced at him. Axel was the one that saw the look of worry in her eyes. However it was not there for long.

Above, Lexaeus was staring at the entrance while Demyx flittered around him trying to get him to say something. Xigbar was sitting on the throne with his arms crossed. He gave them a quick glance and jumped down making Demyx flinch. "Did you find it?" He asked before anyone could say a word. Axel showed Xigbar the red stone and was patted on the back by the older. "See I told you it would work out. Nothing happens by chance." Xigbar glanced at Demyx who was hiding behind Roxas. "Sorry about hitting you little dude." Xigbar said rubbing the back of his head. "I only meant to stun you."

"Can we end this unneeded conversation?" Paine snapped walking by. "We have to protect the Moon Dagger."

* * *

Paine watched the moon that never set for a long time. Was this really happening? Had someone really found out what to do? No one could because only she and a very few others knew what was going on. She glanced at her sleeping teammates. Xigbar had said something that had bothered her so much. _"Nothing happens by chance."_

How many times had she heard this from her old friends. How many times had she seen these things. She sighed and folded her arms while closing her eyes. Dart showed her that nothing happened by chance so did Shana and the others. Paine glanced at the others who were all sitting by a nice fire. Xigbar was standing up telling some sort of story, an adventure that he and Axel had, in the past. Lexaeus was sitting back a little from them, arms folded and head down, apparently listening to the story.

Despite that this group was different, they all had the same things in common with Paine's old friends. She glanced at the moon. Right now she needed to focus on what she was doing and how to stop what might happen.

* * *

Axel looked around the corner. They had managed to get into the castle but finding the princess was not going to be easy. It was already bad enough that they found out that the princess was a bitch. Axel darted across the path and waited for the guard to leave before waving the rest of them. They came to another cross and this time Xigbar darted out and stunned the guard.

Demyx and Lexaeus were keeping watch behind the group to make sure no one saw them. Their first guess was to check the princess's tower. Maybe she was locked in a closet or something of the sort.

"Who would ever want to walk up these stairs every day." Axel groaned as they continued to climb the spiraling stairs. At the top they met several guards. They were egger to fight but when Paine had summoned her sword and told them that their dying screams would never be heard they hightailed it off the tower.

Lexaeus, Demyx and Xigbar waited outside. The room did not seem like it could fit all of them at one time. Axel, Paine, Zexion and Roxas were left to search the room. "Ick." Zexion said looking at the large portrait. "She's covered in blood in this painting."

"Real sense of beauty I guess." Axel said putting his hands on his hips. "The only problem is that there is no place to hide anything in here?" Zexion leaned closer to the painting and went to brush something off the bottom when they were all sucked into it.

Axel untangled himself form Zexion, Paine and Roxas before looking around. There were many spirals of color and what looked like stars floating around them. He turned and saw a portrait of the room they were just in. "Where are we?" Roxas asked as he looked around.

"An alternate world." Paine said brushing her clothes off. She glanced behind her and folded her arms. "Found the princess." Everyone turned to see Princess Larxene sitting in a chair. She was wearing a long yellow robe with fighter's gear on underneath.

"How do we get to her?" Zexion asked looking at Paine.

"We could fly?" Axel suggested and he summoned his dragoon only to be thrown backwards into Zexion.

"Dragoons don't work here, their magic clash with that of the realm," Paine said simply. "There has to be a switch."

"A switch?" Zexion snarled as he tried to throw Axel off. Paine walked over to a side and touched one of the swirling colors. A bridge of light suddenly connected the two platforms. Looking at the other four she walked over.

Demyx was sitting next to Xigbar on the railing when they heard a blood thirsty scream. Xigbar looked at the door, grabbed Demyx and pulled him out of the way as a yellow blur raced down the ramp followed by the other four dragoons. "Time to go," Xigbar yelled to Lexaeus.

They followed Larxene's bloody rampage all the way down the main chamber. When they reached the Chamber of the Sun they found that Larxene had been knocked out and that the imposter had revealed herself.

She had brown hair and was wearing a blue shirt and black pants. She smiled sweetly as she showed them the Moon Dagger. "Hand it over," Axel said pointing to her.

"I don't think so," she said kindly. "I need this for a very special person." She slid the dagger in her sleeve. "If I gave it to you than what would I give him?"

"I'll _take_ your head if you don't give us the Dagger," Paine snarled. The woman giggled. She unfolded her blue wispy bird like wings and floated in the air.

"What are you?"

"You should know," She said looking at Demyx; the boy shifted uncomfortably. "Oh well, be that way then." She smiled at the Dragoons and the extras. "I will not give you the Moon Dagger because he desires it and I would not want to make him upset." Paine jumped forward and transformed however the woman dodged with a giggle that irritated them all. Axel transformed followed by Xigbar, Roxas, and Zexion. Lexaeus and Demyx did everything they could to cut the woman off but she was much too quick for any of them.

She turned around and raised her hand in front of her face and outlined a strange symbol. Demyx gasped and then saw who it was aimed at. "Dark Rain!" The woman laughed. Roxas looked up and his eyes widened as the dark orbs began to dive bomb him from the ceiling. Demyx rushed forward and summoned his sitar from air again and beat all the orbs away.

"Thanks Demyx."

"No problem Roxy," Demyx said with a grin. They all turned on the woman who was still giggling.

"You guys are too slow," She said with a smile. "Even though I have had fun I must be going."

"Going? You are outnumbered," Zexion said pointing to her. She only smiled and jumped out of the window. They tried to follow her but she was gone, heading to the heart of the bay.

"Who was that?" Axel asked.

"Her name is Olette." Xigbar said and everyone looked at him. Gehrich told me as he lay dying. "She's a winglie."

"A what?" Xigbar grinned only slightly at Axel's dumb look.

"A being that the Dragoons fought in the Dragon Campaign eleven thousand years ago." Zexion said sounding wise. "I thought they were extinct."

"It seems that some still live," Paine said cutting through the rest of Zexion's speech. "It doesn't matter. We need to get the Moon Dagger."

* * *

The sun was setting over the bay. The ship was still being loaded but the next morning they would all be heading out to sea. They would be chasing Olette with the fastest thing they could get. Flying through the bay would be a bad idea as Paine had told them. So their next best bet was the massive Queens Fury, the steam powered warship.

Axel glanced at Roxas who was sleeping a few feet away, then over at Demyx. "It'll continue to be like a traveling with a three-ring circus," He muttered under his breath. Demyx added a new light to the group, a sort of energy that they seemed to be lacking. All the same, he did not know if agreed with Paine on the decision to take him and Lexaeus along. They were not Dragoons, and they were heading into a region dominated by a powerful Sea Dragon.

Only Soa knows what could happen.

_**

* * *

Disclaimer:**_ I think I like Xiggy playing Haschel. The two seem to have the same energetic attitudes to work with. Not too long of a chapter my next one will be. Stay tuned for the next chapter in the series.

**P.S** the trap to buy the rights to the game with monopoly money failed meaning we don't own either of the games.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Xigbar was walking along the railing of the ship. It had been awhile since he'd been on a ship, but he got his sea legs back pretty quickly. Besides, if he fell, he'd just fly back up. As much as he tried not to think about it, he really had his father to thank for his balance- if he hadn't been forced to train on those little wooden poles, even after he'd lost his eye, he'd probably be close to useless.

And, as much as he didn't like to admit it, he and his father were so much alike…

_Claire, in a black gi and her hair pulled back, was sparring with her friend, Lotta, who was dressed similarly. The two had decided not to wear gear, because they were both pretty good and could fight without seriously hurting each other. Xigbar was standing apart, watching them. _

It was after he had been named Grandmaster. He had a _title_ to live up to!

"_Step quicker, Claire! Lotta could easily beat you if she wasn't holding back!"_

_Claire looked over at him and smiled. "Sure thing, Xiggy," she said._

_Xigbar got angry. "That's Sensei to you right now!" he growled._

_She punched a little harder at Lotta, then stepped back and turned to Xigbar. "My apologies, Sensei."_

But, that didn't change the fact that she was his _sister_. He had a title to live up to there, too.

_She kicked, Lotta blocked. The other girl stepped back and groaned at Claire. "Maybe we should stop, Claire," she said._

_Claire shook her head. Combination number fourteen, she hooked Lotta's leg and tripped her, and stepped back, waiting for her friend to stand up._

_But, Xigbar ran over. He knelt down next to Lotta and shook her. "Lotta!" He looked over at Claire, "You did this!"_

_She had hit her head. Hard. Falling onto the floor. Out cold, maybe forever._

Claire had sobbed, wanting Lotta to wake up. Xigbar had yelled at her, _his sister_, and told her to leave. Told her that her fist was not welcome as part of the Rogue School. Yelled, that her pathetic skills were the reason why father had not even considered her as a potential Grandmaster.

Xigbar sat on the edge and listened to the breeze. He did what he thought was right at the time, but really, he was just on a high of being named Grandmaster. Lotta hadn't died; she'd actually woken up two days later. But, Claire had already gone.

Twenty years he'd been searching for her. And, he'd only found that he had never really grown up. Claire was still the little sister that used to annoy him when he was going through his kata and combinations, and he was still the big brother that _had_ to spend time with the little sister. And, of course, now that he no longer even has the choice to be around her, he wants to. More than anything.

But, after twenty years, maybe she'd found someone to take care of her. Someone she loved. She had always wanted a family.

Xigbar smiled. Maybe, she was happy. Still, if she had a family, he wished he could see his nieces and nephews. _Uncle Xigbar_. The thought made him happy and sad at the same time.

* * *

It was getting darker, and most of the group was sitting around Axel's hammock, listening to Xigbar tell them about an adventure he and Axel had a few years back. Paine and Roxas were the only ones not around. Demyx and Zexion were sitting on the floor, and Lexaeus was leaned up against one of the posts. Xigbar and Axel were sharing the hammock as best they could.

In the middle of a sentence, the ship creaked loudly, and then there was a loud _bang_, and the whole ship rocked around and stopped. Xigbar put his arm around Axel, and Demyx and Zexion grabbed each other, even Lexaeus had to brace himself to make sure he didn't fall over.

The hammock creaked and rocked as Axel gripped Xigbar's arm. Finally, Xigbar asked, "Is everyone okay?"

"I think we knocked heads, Demyx," Zexion groaned. Demyx groaned back.

Lexaeus just nodded.

Axel gasped and muttered, "Roxas," and stood up and went up on the deck. The sailors were rushing around, checking the damage, and through all the noise, Paine had made her way over to him.

She pointed to their right- a large ship had knocked into them. Its sails were tattered, and the wood was rotten. "It's a ghost ship," Paine said. "It's been haunting the bay for almost twenty years now, the sailors say."

Axel nodded. "Have you seen Roxas?"

Paine shook her head, but then one of the sailors came up to Axel and tapped him on his shoulder. "The small, blond one?" Axel nodded. "He said he wanted to look around on the ship."

Axel started toward the ghost ship, with Xigbar and Demyx on either side of him. Zexion and Lexaeus followed, but Paine was slow to continue toward the ship. Axel was first, he walked out on the plank connecting the two ships, and jumped onto the other deck. He stepped forward and waited for everyone else to follow him. When the other five were standing in front of him, he turned and called for Roxas.

"Axel!"

The redhead ran. It sounded like Roxas was scared, and whatever scared Roxas had no need to exist. He peaked into various rooms, starting to get frantic when none of them held the blond. A few of the doors were locked, and he tried them for a few seconds longer before giving up and calling for Roxas again. "Where are you?"

A pause. Then, "Captain's Room!"

Zexion turned around. "That's one of the rooms on the upper deck," he said, and led the group up two flights of stairs. When they got there, the door was locked. Axel rammed his shoulder into the wood, three times, and then Lexaeus caught up with him and held him back from attacking the door a fourth time. He grasped the doorknob and pushed it. The door gave in easily and snapped off its hinges.

Axel rushed in and saw Roxas huddled in a corner, surrounded by ghosts- they were dressed as knights, and pointed their swords at the Dragoons. One spoke, wispy and deep, "You will not harm the Prince, Monster!"

He tapped into the Red-Eyed Dragon just enough to call his chakrams, and growled. Xigbar took his place to Axel's right, and Zexion and Demyx also fell into a formation, Lexaeus found a spot next to Demyx. Paine, however, just stepped forward and glared. "You are dead, knights. Leave our realm alone," she said.

The ghost knights charged. "We won't give up Prince Sora!"

"We'll protect him if it costs our lives!"

Paine tapped into her Dragon and swung her sword through the ghosts. "It already has," she muttered as they faded.

Axel dismissed his weapons and ran to Roxas. "Are you okay now?" The blond nodded slowly. "Can you stand?" Roxas reached up for a hand, and Axel pulled him up.

"Axe? It was the Black Monster," Roxas whispered. Axel tensed and then stepped back. "The knights, they were relieved when they saw me," he continued. He looked away, "They said, 'Thank Soa that the Black Monster didn't get you.'"

A door to the side opened, and a crib was rocking slowly from where the group could see. Zexion was the first to carefully walk in, and then Demyx and Lexaeus, Xigbar then went in. Paine stayed put, and Axel and Roxas went into the room.

It was a nursery. On a rocking chair in a corner, another ghost sat, with a blanket on her lap. It looked like she had been crying when she died, because she was still crying now as she rocked and stared at the crib. She looked up and saw the group of mortals in her room and went back to crying. She couldn't have been older than twenty-five when she died.

"Prince Sora was so young," she said, her voice just as wispy as the Knights', but higher in pitch. "If he wasn't a Prince of Mille Seseau, this would have never happened."

Roxas gasped. "A Prince?"

The nanny looked up and saw Roxas, and then finally stopped crying and floated over to him. "You…! Alive, oh Soa, it was not in vain. Eighteen years, and I can finally rest, knowing you survived."

The nanny smiled and faded, but Roxas reached out and said, "Wait! What relationship do I have to this person?"

Axel grabbed Roxas's arm, and shushed him. The ship was creaking and there was a sickening sound of water rushing around them.

"It's sinking!" Zexion grabbed Demyx's hand and started running. Lexaeus and Xigbar went after them, and Axel picked Roxas up and ran with the teen on his back. Paine was already at the end of the ship, where the Queen Fury was still anchored next to the ship. She took Demyx from Zexion and helped him onto the other ship, and then Zexion. Xigbar sped up and leaped up onto the Fury, and Lexaeus climbed up.

Axel stopped and he and Paine both helped Roxas up, and Xigbar leaned over and took Paine's hand, just as the ghost ship finally gave out under her feet- with Axel still on it.

"AXEL!" Roxas screamed.

But, it was Paine that, as soon as she was on the deck, turned back around and dived for Axel.

_Not again. Never again!_

It was dark and Xigbar had to hold Roxas back to keep him from jumping after Axel, too. The ship that went down pulled Paine from sight, under water, and Demyx leaned over the edge, and then looked back at Roxas breaking down in Xigbar's arms.

Lexaeus turned away. Zexion bit his lip. Again, he lost a good friend- two, this time, though.

* * *

After pulling Axel through the water, and keeping them both above the water, Paine dragged him onto a beach and pulled his Spirit off of his neck. She tapped into it using her own to build a fire on a pile of sticks she gathered together, and then pulled her knees to her chest and watched Axel's chest rise and fall.

_They are so much alike, Axel and Dart, _she thought. She scoffed. "After eleven thousand years, you'd think I'd forget," she mused while fingering her choker. "If only I could have grabbed his hand," she said and bit her lip as the first few tears started to fall.

_They were all flying, fighting. They were chosen to do this. Vellweb, the wingly city, was slowly crumbling beneath them as they fought. At least ten Virage to each Dragoon, and a handful of winglies as well._

_Meru had gone first. The poor girl, the Blue-Sea Dragoon, stabbed in the one weak point of her armor, had kept fighting until nothing was left. She fought bravely for only being a teenager. Her sixteenth birthday would have been in a month. _

_Then Albert, previously a leader of a group of free humans. He had tried desperately to save Meru, but to no avail. He was the defense of the group, chosen by the Jade Dragon; Meru was the spirit and laughter of the group. Without them, they knew they would fail._

_Haschel had gotten it down to one last Virage, but was tired. He looked up at her; smirked, and went back to the Virage. "I'm taking you with me!" A bolt of electricity, and then he, too, was gone. A kamikaze attack, blowing himself up with his own power. Shana flew by and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the coming fireball from Haschel's attack. _

_She nodded to Shana, and they parted. She called on her Dragon to fight for a while in her place, and went to attack the winglies ganging up on Kongol. But, then she turned and saw the Super Virage charging up for an attack- right at Dart. Shana beat her to him, though, tackling him out of the way. _

_She saw the brief smile exchanged between the two of them, and she sighed- of course, even after everything they had been, Dart loved Shana more. She turned around and attacked- the Virage wasn't going to kill her, not until she makes sure that Dart knows she loves him. _

_Kongol called for help, and Shana left Dart to go heal him, and then Dart charged away from her, sword pointed. She saw Dart fight Xemnas, the wingly leader, evenly matched. But, she knew that Dart could take him, and turned to fight more Virage. _

_A column from the building above dropped, but Kongol caught it and held it up so Shana could get away. But, there was another Super Virage charging up, ready to attack Kongol if he managed to get the column off of them. Shana stood, looked up at her, and smiled. "Our deaths won't be in vain, Kongol," she said, and readied her bow to attack the virage at its weak moment. _

_She cried for Shana, but the Super Virage fell to the earth below, dead, and the column that Kongol had been holding up was resting on the platform they had been standing on before._

_Then a loud explosion above her, and she looked up to see Dart fall and Xemnas dissipate. She flew fast to get to Dart before he, too, died in front of her. But, when she finally got to him, he was slowly turning to stone from the feet up, and becoming part of the platform he was laying on. _

"_Rose… go on, save yourself!" he called to her. _

"_I'll never let you go!" she said and let a tear fall. She reached out to touch his hand, but when she finally got to him, it was stone. "No! Dart! I love you!"_

Paine shook her head and wiped her arm across her eyes. "But, he still loved Shana…" She looked over at Axel, asleep, and smiled sadly. "I never had a chance, and I still don't. Even if Axel _was_ Dart, he's in love with Roxas. But, Axel isn't Dart, is he?"

She crawled over to Axel's head and pulled him into her lap. She bit her lip. "No, you're not. Even so, you still have the same effect on me. Calming the insanity of the Dragon in me… I haven't had this since Dart. Since I still went by 'Rose'."

She curled around Axel's head and slept. It was tiring, thinking about the past. About _her_ Dragon Campaign.

* * *

Fueno was a busy port town, and Axel and Paine eagerly entered the gate. This was the port where the Queen Fury was supposed to dock, to stock up on supplies.

Axel went straight to the docks, where he assumed Roxas might still be. But, when he got there, he crashed into a running Demyx, and both of them fell backward. Demyx landed more gracefully than Axel, but when they had both cursed and rubbed body parts that ached, Demyx pointed at Axel and smiled.

"You're alive!"

Axel smirked, and nodded to Paine behind him, extending a hand to help him up. "She did it," he said.

Demyx stood up and jumped excitedly, and then said, "Roxas hasn't said a word since you disappeared; you gotta see him!"

"Where is he?" Axel asked urgently.

"Everyone's staying at the inn," Demyx said, running away from them, back toward the city.

Axel motioned for Paine to follow him, but she waved her hand. "You go see Roxas. I'll be along later," she said with a sad smile.

But, Axel stopped. As much as he didn't want to keep Roxas waiting, something was wrong with Paine. "You okay?"

"Not really," she said. "I had a lot of time to think overnight, and I'm not sure I like the conclusion I came up with."

Axel cocked his head to the side. "What's that?" he asked.

Paine shook her head and looked away. "You don't need to know, and I'd rather you not."

He bit his lip, wanting to ask again, press the issue, but he didn't. "Okay, but someday, will you tell me?"

She nodded. "Most likely, yes."

Axel smiled. "Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it," he said, and turned to follow where Demyx had gone.

Paine stayed where she was, watching Axel go and wiping her face of emotion. She and Axel could both go the rest of their lives without knowing about what happened last night, even if it was nothing.

* * *

Xigbar had, apparently, bet with the innkeeper that Axel would come back alive. So, when he walked through the door, with Demyx right next to him, Xigbar instantly ran over to the innkeeper and demanded that he pay up. Reluctantly, the man pulled five coins out of his pocket and placed them in Xigbar's hand.

Zexion smiled, and Demyx went over to him and said, "I knew he'd be okay! And Paine is, too, but she wanted to stay and talk to the captain."

"Welcome back," Zexion said.

"We were getting tired of waiting for you, little dude," Xigbar said and clapped Axel on the shoulder.

Even Lexaeus cracked a little smile. "A man as strong as you could never die," he grunted out.

Xigbar smiled down at Axel, and then pushed him toward the stairs. "He's in the room at the end of the hall," he said, and Axel looked around at the others, and all of them had the same look on their face.

_Why are you still here?_

Axel was up the stairs and at the door at the end of the hallway in less than a minute, but he stood at the door forever. He rested his hand on it, then his forehead, and wondered if he should even go in. If Axel disappeared from Roxas's life, right now, would Roxas ever get over it? Maybe, but it seemed like all Axel did was make Roxas's life more complicated.

But, then he heard a sniff, and a shaky intake of breath, and his brain stopped working, and he opened the door and saw Roxas curled up on the bed.

"Roxas?"

The blond looked up and gasped. "Axe?"

Axel looked down. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said.

Roxas stood up from the bed and ran, getting caught up in a hug from Axel, who had to spin around to avoid falling backward. Axel held Roxas tight around his waist as Roxas's arms were wrapped around his neck as he cried into Axel's shirt.

Axel shushed him and kissed his head. He whispered, "It's okay," and "I'm here now," at least twenty times before Roxas stopped quivering and crying.

Roxas stepped away a little and wiped at his face, but Axel didn't let go of him. Not that either minded…

"But, you're okay, right?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah," Axel said, and pulled Roxas back against his chest. Roxas slipped his hands back around Axel's neck, and rested his head back on his chest. They both sighed, and then Axel turned and scooped Roxas's knees up and brought him over to the bed. He laid them both down, pulled Roxas against him, so they were facing each other, and smiled.

Roxas tucked his head under Axel's chin and closed his eyes. "I didn't sleep last night," he muttered. "Too worried."

"My apologies," Axel said, slipping an arm around Roxas's waist and bringing them a little closer together. Roxas lightly kissed Axel's neck, and Axel gasped quietly.

"Roxas?"

But, the blond was asleep. Axel sighed. He had a perfect chance, again, to tell Roxas how he felt, and again, Roxas was asleep. He gently tipped Roxas's chin upward, and brushed their lips together.

"I love you," he whispered.

Roxas smiled in his sleep, nuzzled against Axel's chest, and then…

"You too, Axe," Roxas murmured in his sleep.

Axel smiled. If only they could say that when one of them wasn't asleep.

* * *

Disclaimer: :P

Cy: squee! I've been waiting for, like, ever to be able to write that scene! Yay! And, ZOMG, it's done at a decent time. Like, I'm pretty sure it's only been a week or so since the last update by Veroxen, and this one's already done! SUPER YAY!

I'm pretty hyper right now. I'm not sure why.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Axel sunk lower in to the hot water. After everything that had happened in the last few weeks had really taken a toll; he never realized how important a hot bath was to him. This was also the time that he appreciated how much his element worked with the opposite. He closed his eyes, sighed and sunk lower in the water. They were only staying the night to regroup, but more importantly for him and Paine to rest.

With most worries washed away Axel's mind wondered to Roxas. A strange knot formed in his stomach. Roxas had grown so much but more than that he was becoming stronger everyday he had to put up with Paine. Even though she beat down on him a lot they all knew why. Roxas was their healer the only one who could take care of any injuries or aliment, he needed to be ready for anything that came his way.

Axel opened his eyes and glanced at the stone wall around him. The hot day had turned into a cool night and now Axel knew it was time to go to bed. They were getting up early the next morning to go to the Prison Island. He reached back and grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist as he stood up. Walking to where his cloths were he dressed and then walked back to the hotel.

There were not too many people down in the large dining hall bar. Zexion was still up reading a book in the corner. He did not notice Axel when he walked in. Xigbar was at the bar with Lexaeus, they were talking quietly and Axel had no doubt that the conversation was about fighting. Not wanting to talk to anyone Axel went immediately upstairs and to his room. Opening the door quietly he saw that Roxas had fallen asleep in the chair. Closing the door, he walked to the blond, picked him up, and brought him to the bed. Roxas curled in his arms and did not wake.

* * *

Paine's hammering on all the doors made a chaotic scene for the Dragoons the next morning. Axel and Roxas both fell out of bed yelling angrily. Xigbar apparently fell out a window. Then there was the issue that everyone was trying to do normal semi-intelligent tasks and failed miserable at it, mainly because everyone was still asleep. This failure did not improve Paine's irritation and she made the rest of the morning miserable for the Dragoons by telling them they would all run an eight hour training section when they were done with their main task.

Axel stretched and stifled a yawn as they walked out of the port town. Roxas was the only one next to Paine who was wide awake. She respected it only to a point. Axel fell back and walked next to Xigbar. "So how was the fall out of the window?" Xigbar blinked, it took a moment for him to realize what Axel said and then he grinned.

"Funny as Hell." He looked at the other. "Just got up, opened the window, and she came banging on the door and out I went." He laughed. "Landed on my feet, but that didn't stop how funny it was." Paine seemed more annoyed as Xigbar talked. She did not like Xigbar much; he was the only one who challenged what she said and her methods. The problem was when he challenged it Axel did and then it meant everyone was challenging what she said. The next time that happened she would not hold back. She would show them the real power of a Dragoon. Simple spells were not the only thing that they knew. She glanced back catching a glimpse of Axel out of the corner of her eyes. Axel was the most experienced Dragoon; it would not be too long before he leaned the final attack.

* * *

It was noon when they reached the entrance of the Marine Cave. Demyx looked up and stopped. Axel noticing they were missing one he stopped and turned around. Demyx was standing there like he was hypnotized, he swayed a little. "Demyx?" Demyx blinked and looked down at Axel. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sounded distance. "It's just... I thought I heard something."

"Heard something?" Axel asked. Xaldin had said the same thing the night before he had got his Dragoon and the night before the accident.

"Yeah," he shook his head and grinned. "Must have been a cry in the cave." He walked forward with Axel and they soon caught up to the group. No one seemed to notice that they had been missing. Paine looked at the water now creeping up on the path.

They crossed the path swiftly and carefully. Demyx stopped again on the other side and this time he seemed very uneasy and now Paine noticed. "What are you doing?" she snapped. Demyx did not respond his eyes were glued to the top of the path and he looked rather scared. Xigbar seemed to notice Paine's rising anger so he went to the young blond and stood in front of him.

"What's up little dude?"

"I don't know," Demyx said uneasily. He glanced at Xigbar, "I just have this uneasy feeling and I keep thinking I hear this voice." He shook his head.

"We all hear voices mate," Xigbar said putting his arm around Demyx's shoulder and walking him back to the group. Xigbar and Demyx passed Paine without care. Lexaeus soon joined the two. Paine continued and muttered things under her breath. As they went deeper and deeper into the cave they could all feel the strange sensation. A sensation as Xigbar expressed as impending doom.

They soon found themselves on the Prison Island and now a massive storm was brewing. The group stayed close together and kept their eyes everywhere. All the tales of a Dragon in the area drew them here. Olette had not been seen leaving this island so they knew she was here, and the presence of a Dragon gave them all the fear that she was the one controlling it.

Paine held them at the top and they listened. There was more than one voice and the second was a male and they knew who this was. Axel rushed forward summoning his chakrams. He was flanked by his fellow Dragoons. The silver haired man turned and looked at them.

"So you followed me here?" Olette said with a smile. "I've already given him the Moon dagger." Riku stared at the group and then jumped back when Axel took a step forward.

"Now I will be able to avenge my friend and my country," Zexion said pointing at Riku.

"King Zexion? Still angry at your friend's death? I'm surprised you even made it this far." Riku smiled slyly. In a way that none of them liked. "I'm afraid that you will have to avenge your friend and country on another day. You see, I have a date in Mille Seseau. You are welcome follow." He jumped into the air and vanished in a slight burst of white light.

Olette took the centre of the field now. "Well hold on there. It was nice that he gave you an invitation but I am afraid that you have to decline it. You see you aren't going to make it out of here alive." She raised her arms as a massive serpent-like blue dragon burst from the waters behind as a blue light encircled her.

"She's a Dragoon!" Paine yelled. She transformed followed by the others leaving Demyx and Lexaeus on the ground. Demyx looked around then ran away as the dragon's tail tried to turn him into the new path. The dragon began to attack Demyx but every time the Dragoons tried to defend him, Olette interfered with a power burst of water.

The dragon dived down at Demyx mouth wide. The teen summoned his sitar and jammed it into the beast's mouth and hung on. Unable to open his mouth wide enough or snap the instrumental weapon so he tossed his head angrily while Demyx held on for his life yelling at the top of his voice.

"Somebody help me please!" Demyx yelled as the dragon snapped its neck around. Xigbar stopped his battling with Ollete.

"Dem let go I'll catch you!" Demyx did not hesitate. He let go and was thrown into Xigbar's arms. Zexion flew out of nowhere and summoned a huge gust of wind to block the Dragon's watery breath. The creature dived beneath the waves allowing Xigbar to place Demyx on the ground.

He landed and saw Lexaeus coming. He drew his tomahawk off his back and listened. The battle over head was the only thing heard. A sound came that made everything stop. A sound like one you heard when you drained a bath tub. Soul sucking gurgling and then suddenly the pit was surrounded by a massive wave which encircled the group on the ground. They were blocked by a wall of water with the Dragon rising up with it.

"Shit," Xigbar said wings falling. "What the hell are we going to do?" Zexion looked around as the water began to fall down on them. Suddenly a spell came to mind as if his Dragoon was screaming it to him. He flew up and threw out his arms.

"Rose Storm!" Cross winds burst around them destroying the tsunami attack.

"Nice attack," Demyx said in awe.

"It's not an attack," Zexion muttered sounding annoyed.

* * *

Axel and Paine flew around trying to get at Olette, but she was dodging them and going after Roxas. Though Roxas was a defensive Dragoon, with his two swords he kept her at bay easily. This was when Olette realized that she needed her Dragon in order to conquer them. She dodged by everyone and landed on its head.

"Alright Urobolus lets go!" The creature dived forward scattering all the Dragoons, including Demyx and Lexaeus. The creature was easily over a hundred feet long with many different tentacle arms wrapped tight around his body. His dark blue and purple color made him and Olette blend into the surroundings and into the water.

Suddenly they were gone. Everyone tensed; they were at a huge disadvantage. Seconds raced by then the water broke apart and the creature went after Demyx and the other three on the ground. Urobolus's arms snatched each up. His body began to side gently into the water. Axel dived down with Paine and hurled his chakrams at the Dragon's eyes, but Olette appeared. With a fast movement of her arms, water shot into the air and froze in front of Urobolus, protecting him from flames.

"Axel, she is your opposite!" Paine yelled angrily. "Don't let her beat you like this." Axel summoned back his chakrams and readied for a second attack. However the ice broke, Urobolus had dropped his four captives and was heading right at Axel.

Unfortunately for Axel, his reaction was far too late. Urobolus smashed Axel into the wall crushing his wings and then moved back. It was now Axel verses the Dragon. Olette was holding the other Dragoons off with powerful water and ice style attacks. Axel looked up and saw the creature rearing up above him.

Paine violently slashed through the ice wall. She was going to us her final spell. She would not let a Winglie take away another person she cared about. However she was not fast enough. Roxas had shot forward. His two swords smashed down onto the creature's head. They vanished after the attack and he flew back drawing the Dragon's attention. "You leave Axel alone!" He yelled at the top of his voice. Paine froze as did everyone else in the battle.

The cave they were in was changing. It had become bright white making Paine flinch and dive around behind the others. White, light blue and purple bands were moving around the field now. Something suddenly came out from behind Roxas. He landed on the slim white head. The creature's multiple translucent white butterfly wings were extended out and began to flap. Its arms and legs slowly flexed out and its long white spiked tail uncoiled from its main body.

Paine stared with mixed emotions; shock, horror, and disbelief. Roxas summoned his swords back and glared at Urobolus. Now the field was matched because, Roxas had summoned the White Silver Dragon. He raised one sword into the air and the White Silver Dragon screeched angrily. Roxas jumped back and threw his hands forward. "Star Children!" The Dragon extended her large wings and cried to the heavens before looking back at Urobolus. It let out a large burst of white fire at sea dragon. The distraction was enough time for Axel to get out of the way before the attack. Urobolus recoiled after the attack and growled. "Kill him!" Roxas yelled throwing out his arm.

The Silver Dragon threw its head up. A strange glow was focused around its open mouth. The Silver Dragon let out the powerful white beam which sliced through the opposite's scales. With a burst of wind, it took off to finish the job. Roxas turned to Olette, the area was still shining in the mystical light, now it was time to finish her. She would regret ever making that over-sized Serpent go after _his_ Axel.

Roxas shot forward for the attack. Olette dodged, but not soon enough. One of Roxas's swords caught around a weak spot in her armor. With that drop in speed Roxas delivered the most direct blow which finished Olette immediately. She hit the ground at the same time as her Dragon did. The creature's blood was flowing over the already saturated ground. The mystical world around them faded leaving Roxas and the Silver Dragon the only ones in the air. With a song-like cry the creature disappeared in a burst of white. Roxas landed and like the others, watched as Olette stood up.

Paine advanced eager to finish this, after all they needed to inform the king that the moon dagger was lost and then head right to Mille Seseau to find Riku. Olette looked up fear all over her face. Clutching her gaping wound she backed away. When Paine was close enough she threw her hand forward creating a blade like burst of water through the air. It missed Paine. Roxas saw where it was heading and dived.

Axel caught Roxas around the waist and using his free hand deflected the ice based attack. The Dragoon armor vanished off of Olette leaving her very vulnerable but as Paine raised her sword Axel's voice cut the air. "Paine, don't." Paine turned to see that he and Roxas were out of Dragoon form but where watching intently.

"Yeah, hold up. Without the Dragon or the Dragoon the girl can do no more harm," Xigbar said carefully. "She's just a kid. No doubt Riku used her like he did everyone else." Paine seemed totally un interested in any of their arguments but turned back to see Olette. The look of fear and how young she really was made her lower her sword. She seemed much like Meru did when she first became a Dragoon; scared and helpless and alone.

Paine turned from her Dragoon and walked away. Roxas looked at Axel then moved away and approached Olette. He stood over her. "I hate you for what you tried to do to Axel." He said so only the two of them could hear. "But I'm not going to let you die. I'm not like that." He bent down and placed the Silver Dragoon spirit to her side and healed the wound. "I think it is time for you to go and make up for what you did." Olette sniffed and stood up with some help from Roxas.

"Your friends are lucky to have someone who is as kind as you are," Ollete told him. She handed him the blue stone then vanished.

"WOW!" Demyx yelled voice echoing loudly in the cavern making everyone including Paine jump. "You guys are awesome!" He said doing a little spinning dance. "I knew it was a good idea to stick with you guys. Dragons and Dragoons are way cool."

"Someone shut him up before I kill him," Paine growled angrily. Everyone stopped but Demyx who was still doing his dance and singing a song about Dragons and Dragoons. The Blue Sea Dragoon spirit had shined bright blue and then disappeared. Demyx raised his arm into the air in a finishing pose when the small blue stone rested itself in the middle of his palm. He instantly froze and looked at his hand as if there was tiger sitting there. Lowering his arm slowly he looked at the glowing stone. Paine cursed and walked away. Clearly she thought the Dragon was making a horrible mistake, however she smiled slightly as she left.

Xigbar chuckled. "Looks like Dem is a dragoon now."

"Wonderful," Zexion muttered but Demyx grabbed his shoulder and grinned.

"Does this mean I'm one of you guys?" He asked Axel.

"Seems so." Demyx cheered making Zexion flinch, the teen still had a good grip on him and was not going to let go.

"Sweet! Look at that, Zexy, I'm a dragoon too." Zexion went slightly pink and pulled himself away as Demyx did a dance. Xigbar moved to Axel and Roxas.

"It's going to be like traveling with a three ring circus isn't it Ax?" Xigbar said with a wide grin.

"Definitely," Axel said putting his arm around Roxas.

* * *

The walk back to civilization was longer than they thought. Back in town they celebrated the victory against the Dragon and at gaining a new dragoon ally. Axel, Roxas, Xigbar and Zexion felt sorry for Demyx when they saw the look in Paine's eyes. The look was one they all knew very well. The I'm-going-to-_own_-your-ass-when-training-starts look. The youth couldn't care less; he danced around and sang and played the old piano in the bar.

"Paine," Axel said sitting down next to her. She glanced at him telling him she was listening. "Roxas... what did he do?"

"Summoned his Dragon," She said glancing to where Demyx and Roxas were dancing together. "Each Dragoon has the ability to summon the Dragon he or she holds the Spirit of. The Spirit is what allows us to transform and, effectively, is how the Dragon chooses its master." She paused for a moment. "When the Dragon is summoned, it doubles the power of the Dragoon and has the potential to move around on its own as long as the Dragoon is with it. It's a very difficult spell to use, but even more so when the Dragon moves around. It's not easily learned because every Dragoon is different." She looked right at him. "Having his Dragon available will mean that we are less likely to be injured on the field. That Silver Dragon heals all of its allies when it is on the field. No doubt when Roxas summoned it, you felt better?" Axel nodded.

"I was more shocked than anything."

"We all were. Roxas was the last person I ever thought would be able to summon his Dragon but I was wrong. With the knowledge to summon her, there is little Roxas can be taught now. The connection is complete with Dragoon and Dragon, so now everything he learns will be from the Spirit he controls."

That night they all ate and drank their fill before heading to bed. Tomorrow they would not have to rise early as the Queen Furry was not departing until sun down. Axel, who was the last one to head to bed, opened and closed the door quietly only to find that Roxas was up waiting for him.

The blond turned his head and smiled. Axel approached and laid down next him. "What?" The blond asked.

"You saved my life today." Roxas blushed slightly. Axel slid his arms around Roxas's waist and pulled him close. Axel was trying to figure out where Roxas had got all that power from but the teen was asleep before he could ask. Axel had no doubt that he was tired, summoning a dragon and then ordering it around must have been tough but he was glad that it was Roxas who had intervened.

Besides. Roxas had looked very sexy when he was standing on the head of that dragon.

* * *

Disclaimer:

Wow I think that was the fastest three chapters we have ever posted! Hoary for getting the battle scene hope it didn't suck. A woot for Demyx who got his Dragoon! He's going to be in for a nasty shock when Paine gets a hold of him. And horay for Roxas who summoned his Dragon! I thought that was the best thing to do months ago, usually when I play LOD I can get Albert's Dragon way before fighting Doel but normally you get a lv five Dragoon about this area in the game so who better than Roxas who can summon an attacking/healing dragon!

_"Rambling? as If, I'll I'm trying to say to you is.… We don't own either of the games."_ Though I was going to say " your time is up!"


	19. Chapter eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

As much as Olette knew she had an obligation to the Dragoons to comply with their request that she stand before the King of Tiberoa and at least apologize, she couldn't do it. So, right before the Queen Fury lifted anchor and left port, she knocked back the human guards standing around her, called her wings of light, and flew away. She gave a meaningful look to Demyx before vanishing from sight. None of the Dragoons pursued her, knowing that she wasn't going to be a problem from now on.

Paine decided that Demyx's training would begin as soon as they were out to sea a good ways. Lexaeus was standing off to the side with Xigbar, both in a similar stance with their arms crossed and their mouths tight. Axel and Zexion were sitting a little to Xigbar's left, tense as to what she'd make Demyx do. Roxas was the only one relaxed, as he had finally figured out that he had Paine full respect as a fellow Dragoon. He was standing next to her, on her right, with his Spirit shining a little to show that he was ready- just in case the first transformation tires Demyx out more than it should.

Demyx had found a chain to tie the Spirit to, and was fingering it nervously as it hung around his neck. He, honestly, was terrified.

Axel only just learned how to control his element enough to take a shower. Poor Roxas still had the occasional nightmare. And Zexion tripped on flat surfaces. What would happen to him when Paine made him a Dragoon, too?

Would it always be cold?

"Demyx?" Paine said gently. It was the first time he'd ever heard her say his name without yelling at him.

"Yeah?"

"You have this last chance to say that you don't want it," she said.

Then Roxas continued, "You don't have to do this. If you're scared, or have any second doubts, you need to speak up now, before the Dragon takes over." Roxas sounded much more mature than he ever had, and Demyx had to sigh. Is that what the Dragon does, make you grow up?

"If I don't do it, the Dragon's Spirit might end up in the wrong hands again," Demyx muttered. "Just, make me a Dragoon, before I can say I don't want it."

Roxas and Paine smirked at each other, and then Roxas stepped forward, put his hand on Demyx's chest, and said, "This is gonna hurt the first time." He worked through the White Silver Dragon, and tapped into Demyx's Dragon and activated it.

Then, he stepped back.

A bright blue light surrounded Demyx as he tipped his head back. It couldn't be worse than the pain of leaving home the first time, right? And, yes, it was painful, but as the tight, scale-like armor he'd seen on Axel and Roxas and the other Dragoons surrounded him, he didn't feel in pain as much as he felt the power of the Blue Sea Dragon swimming through his veins.

His armor was the strangest out of everyone's. He still had the two wings spread out behind him- a translucent blue. But, everything else was different. His boots only came up just past his ankles, and on the outside of his legs were armor plates that seemed to be strapped to his body. His upper thighs were still covered by the blue plates that came out from each side of his hip and off the back, leaving the front exposed. And, the thin, legging-like black armor was still there to cover the skin on the rest of his legs.

But, for his torso, it was almost bare. He had armor on his back, where his wings attached, and shoulder plates, but they barely extended four inches past his shoulders. But, for the front, there was a tight encirclement of blue scales around his stomach and nothing else. He had the battle gloves, but they were thin, and armor strapped to his upper arms.

And, of course, the blue headband was around his forehead to keep his bangs out of his face.

Zexion was smirking. Another defensive Dragoon, he assumed.

Axel bit his lip. If only _Roxas_ had armor like that…

Xigbar and Lexaeus both stared. How was _that_ supposed to protect him?

Roxas and Paine both shrugged, but for different reasons. Roxas thought that Demyx's armor, though minimal, was perfect for him. The Dragon wouldn't have given him heavy armor in which he couldn't move around. It was playing to Demyx's strength, which was his dexterity.

Paine shrugged because he was better equipped than Meru had been. It must have been the Blue Sea Dragon's idea of perfect armor.

Demyx was ecstatic. He slowly flapped his wings and took off, and all the other Dragoons gasped- Demyx was flying like a natural. They all watched as he rode the wind around the ship a few times, diving into the water, coming back up, spinning the water off of him, and laughing as he did it again and again.

He could hear the playful laughter of the Blue Sea Dragon as he fooled around in the back of his mind. She seemed to tell him to fly back to the ship, but he really wanted to stay in the water. He ignored her for a while, but then his wings started flying back on their own. Demyx groaned; he mentally shoved the Blue Sea Dragon and got a playful shove back. He gained control of his wings again, and continued flying back to the ship.

When he landed gracefully on the deck, he finally got a look at the other Dragoon's faces- a mix of surprise and awe. But, he'd forgotten.

_Humans couldn't fly naturally._

"Heh, so, what's first?" he asked Paine.

She smiled. Actually _smiled_ at him. "Flying usually is, but you understand that one, huh?"

Roxas bounced over to him. "That was so cool! How'd you know it right like that?"

Demyx scratched behind his head. "I… have a lot of dreams about flying."

"Well, they certainly paid off, little dude," Xigbar said and guffawed. Lexaeus just smiled at him, and Zexion was also smiling slightly.

Paine transformed, and summoned her sword to her hand. Hovering a little off the ground, she made a motion for Roxas to step back, which he did. As Demyx was still talking to Xigbar about flying and swimming, she pushed off the deck and pointed her sword at Demyx.

But, Demyx was abnormally quick. Even more so than she was. He had already picked up Xigbar, dodged, and was hovering backwards while letting the older man slide out of his arms. He glared at Paine and yelled, "That wasn't very nice, just charging at me!"

She ignored him and nodded to Roxas. He sighed, transformed, and went after Demyx as well, pulling his swords out of their place in the Dragon's realm as he flew. He was a little faster than Paine was, and managed to catch Demyx off guard as the Blue Sea Dragoon dodged just about every attack.

Finally, Demyx groaned and flew away from Roxas, who pursued him. As they got farther away from the ship, Roxas called to Demyx, "Just summon a weapon! That's all she wanted!"

Demyx stopped, and Roxas stopped as well, in front of him. The Light Dragoon smiled and dismissed his swords. "Just, as the Dragon to give you a weapon, and she will," Roxas said as he hovered a little bit closer. Demyx nodded, and bit his lip as he tapped into the Spirit a little more to ask for a weapon.

He heard the playful laugh of the Blue Sea Dragon. Then, he held his hand out and called his sitar to his hand- but this time, it was a little bit bigger, and with more designs on it that looked like bubbles and swirls- to look like the waves of an ocean. Demyx smiled, and then said, "I'll give you a five second head start, Roxy!"

Roxas smiled and flew back towards the ship. A few seconds later, he heard Demyx coming up behind him. _Damn_ that boy was fast! Roxas tapped farther into his Dragon's power and sped up a little, but he could hear the White Silver Dragon's voice whispering that she was tiring, and to leave the training to Paine. He bit his lip and saw the Queen Fury coming closer. He just had to get there before he couldn't go anymore.

And, he made it just as Demyx was caught up. They both tumbled down to the deck, laughing. Demyx dismissed his sitar as he stood up, and then helped Roxas up. He looked over at Paine, who was less than amused, and back in her human form.

"At least you have some kind of weapon," she said.

Zexion glared.

"Now, we need to work on magic," Paine continued. "Thank you, Roxas, for getting his weapon out."

Roxas nodded and dismissed his armor, suddenly feeling weak. He tapped into the Dragon enough that she helped him walk over to Axel, and the two of them sat down on the deck.

A few of the ship's crew watched as Paine and Demyx worked on his magic, with Xigbar finally leaving with Lexaeus to swap battle stories, and Axel leading Roxas away to have some time alone to talk. She talked him through calling daggers of ice to his hand to work as better weapons than the sitar his Dragon had decided on. Also, she worked with him on using his magic to heal- this one took a while, but eventually, he was able to heal minor cuts by just summoning water to his palm and pouring over Paine's skin.

She was extremely grateful for that one. No more need for Roxas to heal her anymore- Demyx could do it just as well.

When the dinner bell was rung, she held him still for a moment before letting him go. "We'll spar tomorrow, with everyone," she said, and Demyx smiled at the challenge in her voice. Already, after a day of being a Dragoon, he had her respect.

* * *

The King held a dinner and dance after the Dragoons returned to Feltz. He explained that just having his dear Princess Larxene back was enough, but also destroying the threat in Fueno? The least he could do was give them a celebration party.

Everyone was up and about, getting ready for the party that was to be held at sundown. Zexion and Lexaeus were discussing their next stop in their pursuit of Riku- Mille Seseau. "I heard it's actually Axel's home country," Zexion commented, and Lexaeus grunted.

"It's cold," the big man offered.

Demyx was outside in the streets, playing his sitar for a few people listening. Every so often, someone would drop a coin at his feet, and he would look up and them and smile. Then, he'd stop his playing and start a new song, saying, "This one's for you." It'd be a new song every time.

Xigbar was standing off to the side, watching Demyx play. Even though the boy had looked happy when he'd been flying for the first time a few days ago, if it was possible, he looked even happier when he sat and played the sitar. It put a smile on his face to see Demyx so happy- it reminded him of when Claire would sit out by the docks and sing.

No one knew where Paine was, but everyone guessed that she was sparring with the knights down in the basement of the castle.

Roxas and Axel were standing at the top of the steps leading into the castle. All alone, Roxas smiled sadly, and asked for Axel's attention.

"What's up, Roxas?"

The blond sighed, and then said, "I love you."

Axel's heart dropped. He _couldn't _mean it like that.

"I always have, you know," Roxas muttered. Axel turned and gave him a confused look. "Even when you left to pursue the Black Monster," and then Roxas gave a half-hearted laugh and continued, "Actually, I started to love you even more, because I thought about you every day."

_He means it… Oh, Soa, he means it!_

"Roxas…?" Axel said quietly.

"I know, you've always thought of me like a little brother, and now, you know, I'm okay with that, because I can still be with you like that," Roxas said, looking up at the redhead. And, before Axel could say anything more, Roxas turned and walked away.

Axel sunk down to sit. "I don't think of you like that, Roxas," he said to the air. "I never have, really."

But Roxas was already gone.

* * *

Paine sighed. The city regarded them as heroes, and all she could think about was his laugh when they had all won their first battle.

"_Heroes, they all called us! Shana, did you get that?"_

She bit her lip. Recently, she had been smiling, even coming close to laughing. Ever since she'd gotten the choker to place her Dragoon Spirit in, she'd stopped laughing, stopped smiling, and, as Dart would have put it, _stopped living_.

But, it was worth the wait. Now, she's living again. And, maybe, it'll all be over soon.

* * *

Axel was standing in front of the doors to the hall where the party was, and he was freaking out. He had finally managed a long enough shower to clean properly, and his clothes had been washed. So had everyone else's. He knew that Demyx was probably the centre of attention, and Xigbar was probably telling a bunch of little kids a story in the corner while sitting next to Lexaeus. Paine was sulking in a corner opposite them, glaring at anyone who came close or dared to make conversation with her. Zexion was, most likely, talking politics with the King of Tiberoa.

But, Roxas…

Would the blond even want to see him?

He opened the doors and walked in, watching the heads turn and the mouths smile as they saw the Dragoon Spirit hanging off his chain. He walked through the crowds of people and was stopped by two women in long, fancy dresses. They were cutting each other off and asking him to explain the story of how he had defeated the monster at the Island. He finally stopped them both and explained that he was only here for the formality; he was very tired, and was going to step outside.

They left him alone. He walked towards Xigbar's corner, and before he got to hear any part of the story, Lexaeus pulled him aside. "What did you do to Roxas?"

Axel just looked down at his feet. He felt a tug from his Spirit, and looked over at Xigbar who was sending him a worried look, stopped in his story.

"He's not here," Lexaeus continued.

Axel snapped his head up and pushed a '_don't worry'_ to Xigbar as he turned and walked away. "I'll find him," he said to Lexaeus before he was out of earshot.

And then, Zexion came up next to him, and whispered, "Paine was looking for you, out on the balcony." He nodded his head to the side, and Axel went that way. Maybe she had seen Roxas? He sidestepped a gaggle of girls and opened the glass doors out to the balcony overlooking the desert.

But, with the night sky full of stars and the bay in the distance sparkling in the moonlight, the desert hardly looked foreboding. He saw Paine leaning over the railing, and he walked up to her. Before he could speak, she said, "Do you want him to catch a cold or something? Making him wait all night over there. Really, Axel. I thought you were better than that." She then stepped back and glared at him before going back inside.

Then, he looked over, farther down the way, and saw Roxas sitting on the railing, his legs dangling over the side while he looked out. The faint light coming from the castle hardly made it to where he was sitting- it was the various moons and the stars that illuminated his face to the point where Axel had to look away for a moment.

_Oh, Soa… He's perfect._

Axel stepped forward and started to feel his hands shake. He was really going to do this. Tell Roxas how he felt, because there was nothing to stop them now. Fuck the Black Monster, fuck Riku, and _dammit_, fuck being a Dragoon if it meant he had to give up this beautiful creature he was now standing beside.

He placed his hand on top of Roxas's, smiled, and took it all in once more in silence. Blond hair, windswept and messy. Bright, clear blue eyes. Lips slightly parted in happy surprise. A clean, fresh scent lingering from the shower before. A white, loose-fitting shirt over not-to-tight pants.

This was the same Roxas he'd fallen in love with so long ago. Axel couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been in love with Roxas, he realized, and didn't ever want a moment to go by when he wasn't constantly reminded of that love he had.

He leaned in, resting their foreheads together, and heard Roxas breath in quicker than usual. "You are beautiful," Axel whispered.

Roxas bit his lip and looked down at his lap. "It's just 'cause I'm clean for the first time in forever," he said. Axel knew he was blushing even though he couldn't see well.

Still, Axel shook his head. "No," he said, "it's because you're you." He reached up and put his hand on the back of Roxas's neck and swallowed. It's now or never… "You are beautiful because I love you," he said. Then he closed his eyes, hoped for the best, and brushed his lips over Roxas's, feeling the blond freeze and melt in the same instant.

They pulled away for a moment, just long enough for Axel to jump up onto the railing and sit down next to him. He put his arm around Roxas's waist, slid them flush together, and tipped Roxas's chin up again for another kiss. This time, their eyes stayed open for a little while, but when Roxas's eyelids fluttered shut, Axel gripped him tighter, brushed his fingers along the blond's cheek, and deepened the kiss. Their mouths opened, and Roxas gasped into his mouth when he brushed their tongues together. He felt Roxas's fingertips brush against his neck, and he sighed. Then, he had to gasp as Roxas trailed his hand down Axel's chest; Roxas put his hand back around Axel's shoulders after that one.

Axel let out a shaky breath after they stopped, and he smiled, content. Roxas looked into the sky and saw a brief flash of light. "A shooting star! Look, Axel!" The redhead turned his head toward the heavens and heard Roxas sigh, "Do you think my wish will come true?"

He could only smile wider. "If you have to wish for anything right now, you obviously aren't as happy as I am," Axel teased.

Roxas laughed. "You're right." He looked up at Axel and kissed his cheek, and then Axel held his chin still so he could kiss the blond properly on the lips. Roxas could only blush lightly and smile. Then, he said, "I only wished this could go on forever."

"You're such a sap," Axel said through the smile that refused to leave his face.

"You're mean!" Roxas said through his own smile.

"I love you, too," Axel said. And then, continued, "I've been in love with you for so long, but I didn't know how you'd take it." Axel leaned in and kissed Roxas once more. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

The blond snuggled up against Axel and sighed. "It was worth the wait," he said.

* * *

In the morning, Axel woke up with Roxas sleeping on his chest, his arm around the teen's shoulders. The sun was streaming in through their window perfectly, lighting up Roxas's face and hair so he looked like the perfect angel he was. Axel smiled softly and kissed Roxas's hair, turned his head to the side and closed his eyes again.

It was the best morning he ever remembered having.

* * *

disclaimer: _(raspberries)_

Cy: I love it! I've always loved it! And, Roxas is _not_ in a dress (glares at Veroxen for ever even thinking about putting Roxas in a dress). Thank Soa that's out of my brain. It's been preventing me from writing, like, anything for the past year and a half. I blame this scene for the year-long wait for that last chapter. I just wanted to get to this one, that I didn't want to bother with the stuff in-between! =) But, as Roxas said, was it "worth the wait"? I'd certainly like to know. Please review!


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

The warm sea air that everyone had experienced in the beginning of the voyage had soon chilled. Soon many of the crew members were wearing thick jackets and winter clothes. The change in temperature marked the transition into Mille Seseau.

They still had two days to go when the air temperature changed and this amount of time gave Paine the opportunity to train the Dragoons. She was much more pleased with Demyx than anyone else only because he was an offensive Dragoon. His water based attack thoroughly annoyed Axel, especially when they were used on him. In the same run Demyx had found how much fire hated his guts. Like the water burning Axel when he first became a dragoon, fire was angry with Demyx out of fear that it would be put out, so this caused simple things to burn Demyx very easily. The most amusing thing was when a torch seemed to melt the metal around it and set Demyx's shirt on fire. It later turned out that this had been Axel's doing.

Xigbar seemed less enthused when it came to practice and preferred to sit and chat with Lexaeus about different tactics and wars. Lexaeus was still tagging along but Paine had no objections. Lexaeus was stronger than most of them in human form and he could withstand blows from a Dragon; that in itself gave him the full right to be with them.

The man had no opinion on the Dragoons. He did not seem to care that they were Dragoons and he was not. He was more interested in following Axel because Axel was strong, much stronger than he realized according to Lexaeus. Lexaeus spent most of his time staring out at sea and saying nothing. His silence was impressive for he not even cracked a smile when Demyx was set on fire by Axel. His mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Finally the ship reached the bay city of Furni. They arrived however in the midst of Chaos. The city was being attacked by a monstrous wolf and many of the best hunters and trappers were gathering to slay the monster. Demyx was keen on joining in but Paine had to remind them all that they were here on an important mission and that they had no time to be caught up in simple matters.

However their "Important Mission" was put on hold because the congregation of monster hunters was so vast that it prevented them from leaving the city that day and with the departure of the Queen Fury, they were stuck. Xigbar and Lexaeus were charged with the task of pushing people out of the way so that they could get to the hotel; which, when they arrived, was swamped.

"This is just perfect!" Paine snarled throwing her arms into the air as they all piled back into the small boat. Boat travel was the only way to get around this place. She went off on many rants while the others tried to figure out what they were going to do. It was only when they were getting out of the boat did someone run up to them.

"I know who you are!" The man said sounding out of breath. "You warriors must be the slayers of the dragon who was terrorizing the bay."

"We have no time for storytelling," Paine said sounding irritated.

"You must be tired from your journey though." He paused. "I'm sorry. I am the mayor of the town. Please you must stay the night at my house. Tomorrow the chaos will be over."

Having no real objections to a free night they got back in the boat and followed the mayor's boat back to his house. There he explained the situation of the wolf and how it had once been a boy's pet but it turned feral and attacked several villagers and killed many. As he went on the boy had been a friend of the Mayor's son who had also been attacked. Since the attack he had not said a word and kept to his self and avoided everyone.

Roxas watched the small child as he stayed in the corner and kept his eyes down. His spirit was hurt not his body. After dinner the child went upstairs and laid down on the sofa. Roxas, feeling that he might be able to help, followed and sat next to him. He talked to him gently and found that the child was smiling. "How about I sing you a lullaby? Would that help you sleep?" The child nodded so Roxas took a deep breath and sang the song slowly under his breath.

Downstairs Xigbar looked up. That song, how was it possible? He closed his eyes and remembered where he heard that song. _"Isn't that song lovely? I made it up. I'm going to sing it to my child before bed." _ That was the lullaby that Claire had created. It had been almost twenty years since he had heard that song but he remembered it very clearly. Roxas came down the stairs and Xigbar moved from his spot and approached him.

"Where did you learn that song?" Roxas looked a little shocked at this question but smiled.

"Axel taught it to me. Isn't it nice? He told me his mom used to sing it to him." Xigbar's heart raced and he watched Roxas walk away. It could not be a coincidence that Axel knew this song. That lullaby was sacred to Claire and was only known by her and himself.

Roxas found Axel sitting on the roof watching the stars. He turned his head and smiled as Roxas approached. The younger sat on his lap and allowed Axel to put his arms around him. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking," Axel said kindly. "Of everything that has happened in the last year." He glanced down at Roxas. "And you." The teen blushed and looked down.

"Axel?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you going to do when you meet the Black Monster?" Axel's smile fell. He glanced at the Moon that Never set.

"I'm not sure. I don't think that I could kill him like I really want to. Killing him will not bring back the people that I lost." He glanced down at Roxas. "I have you to take care of now."

Demyx listened closely. He was wondering how his friends back home felt about his leaving and what would happen to him. "How do you think everyone back home is doing?" Roxas asked.

"I'm sure they are fine," Axel responded. Demyx suddenly remembered his parents. What his father must think and how his mother must be and what all his friends must be doing now. Axel's yell cut across the silence and Demyx ran up the stairs. Roxas was crying in agony. Paine suddenly pushed past Demyx to see what was going on. With her help they were able to get Roxas back down stairs but the teen did not wake.

"He'll be alright," Paine said removing her hand from Roxas's chest. "He's asleep now. What happened?"

"One moment he was fine next he was complaining of a headache." Paine frowned but straightened up.

"He is probably still tired from the training this morning and yesterday. As long as he gets some sleep he should be fine." Axel nodded and sat down next to Roxas and did not move.

The next morning they left and found the town almost empty. "Where are we going?" Demyx asked Paine as they passed by some smaller pine trees.

"The capital Deningrad. Riku is after the Divine Moon Objects so now we have to find out what the one here is called. It is unlikely that we will get an audience with the Queen so asking her is out of the question." Paine sighed and looked around. This was the last country and last Divine Moon object. If Riku got this one there would be some major issues.

"Hey, Zexy, you wouldn't happen to know what it is do you?"

"No, I don't Demyx," he said jerkily. Ever since he had found that Demyx was indeed an Offensive Dragoon he had come to hate the teen. They stopped at the mouth of the massive maze of trees.

"The Evergreen Forest," Demyx said with pride.

"How do you know that?" Roxas asked.

"I used to live in the area."

"Do you sense that Axel? Roxas?" Paine asked seeing how they were the only two who seemed to notice the strangeness in the forest.

"It's like everything in there is evil," Roxas said.

"Not evil, scared." She glanced at the two. "Something is making them uneasy. Maybe it's that wolf or the hunters but keep in mind we may be attacked." They started forward and once under the cover of the trees Paine silenced them all. The forest was unnaturally silent. After all the years Paine still knew the area very well, she wondered if the ruins were still on the other side.

Demyx was very uneasy of the tall trees and dark patches. Xigbar assured them that nothing would attack them but this did not calm the teen down. What if _they_ were watching?

Axel kept his senses strained. Something was out there and it would not be long before it came to them.

A loud crash came from the right and the Dragoons summoned weapons but it appeared to be a hunting group. "So you thought you would take out the beast and collect the gold for yourselves?" The leader yelled pointing the jagged sword at Roxas.

Axel pushed the teen out of the way and raised one of his chakrams. "Touch him and I will shove that sword so far up your ass you sneeze it out," he snarled.

"Tough words coming from a man with a woman's figure." Lexaeue suddenly appeared behind the men and swung his tomahawk slicing all but one in half. Everyone stared- how the hell did he get up on the twenty foot cliff so fast? The last man whimpered and dropped a gold coin. Lexaeus bent over picked up the gold piece, shrugged and put it in his pocket and jumped down making the earth shake slightly.

"How is god's name did you move that fast?" Xigbar asked as they moved on.

"It wasn't that hard? I was already behind." Axel fumed that he had been insulted like that but felt the man got what he deserved. Lexaeus slid the tomahawk onto his back and continued with them. It was a few moments later that they heard a terrible howl.

Everyone stopped and looked around. Lexaeus put his hand back on the handle of his weapon and turned to face the path behind the group. The sound of heavy running was approaching on the air from all directions. Paine summoned her sword again as Axel readied his chakrams. It seemed the smell of blood had attracted many large beasts and now they wanted live meat. From around the corner several massive wolves came charging and from the left a elephant sized white wolf dived at them. In the chaos, the group was separated and rolled down a large hill to the side of a massive crystal clear lake. Demyx immediately summoned his Dragoon along with Xigbar and they stopped Lexaeus from falling off the cliff. Paine, Roxas, Axel and Zexion had fallen below and were now getting up.

Roxas looked up and saw the alpha wolf going right for him. He transformed and flew up. The creature leapt up but Lexaeus had jumped down and landed on the beast allowing Roxas to put some distance between him and any of the creatures. Several went after Paine and Zexion but they transformed and got out of the way. Now there were at least twenty of the massive wolves and only seven Dragoons.

"I think we are going to have to fight them," Axel said joining Paine in the air. "There are too many of them and they can easily catch up." The two dodged as three wolves jumped up.

Lexaeus was thrown off the back of the alpha and was immediately in danger. Roxas threw down his arms and the white stars fell from around him and burst into mini explosions around Lexaeus, allowing him to get up. All the Dragoon spirits flashed and Paine looked around shocked. Could it be that the last Spirit was close? The glow, however, was coming from Lexaeus's pocket and he pulled the small gold coin out of his pocket. However, it was not a coin at all, it was a gold colored crystal and it was glowing yellow. Paine immediately understood. Lexaeus had gone after the men hearing the calling of the Dragon. There was no doubt in her mind that his Dragoon would be an offensive one.

Lexaeus drew his arm back and smashed his fist into the ground feeling the earth shatter around him. The shattered earth soon was attracted to his body and began to form the gold and brown armor. The pain of the transformation was not as bad as he thought but already he felt slightly drained. He summoned his tomahawk which received an upgrade into a much heavier and steel form. He swung powerfully at the two wolves coming after him and easily spilt each into several pieces. He stretched his wings wanting to get into the air but, the atmosphere was refusing to let him off the ground. His breathing became deep; the air around him did not like him very much. He stomped his foot so that the earth below one of the wolves gave way into a massive pit of quicksand which quickly consumed the creature. Three wolves down seventeen more to go.

Roxas, sensing the danger and the issues Lexaeus was having, immediately dropped down and landed on his shoulder. He summoned his strength and helped ease the pains. With Roxas at his side the air seemed to become less heavy and Lexaeus was allowed to take into the air. However, Lexaeus was not fast enough and the alpha launched into the air and grabbed Roxas by the wings and took off. Everyone yelled Roxas and shot after the wolves. Axel, however, was much faster.

Paine immediately sensed the massive change in temperature and called everyone off at once. Axel shot by the wolf in a burst of fire and came down hard to the ground creating an explosion of red and black flames. Lexaeus and Demyx flew forward and retrieved Roxas who was out cold and no longer in Dragoon form. Axel began to shout so loud and in such anger that no one was sure what he was saying. The wolves did not seem to care. They growled and ready to take Axel.

The lake next to the battle began to boil and trees began to suddenly catch fire. He would burn these creatures to dust. A world of fire began to circle the battle field and Paine smiled. It had been a while since she had seen the Red-Eyed Dragon. Something hit the ground causing it to shake but the being seemed to be invisible as it stopped on the ground. It was only a few moments later did they begin to see the six massive depression appear, they smoked and burned.

Then as if a lens was being cleaned the dragon seemed to take shape. It had a very long body red and black scales mixed together to form it. Misshapen spikes bigger than Lexaeus covered its back four black leathery wings were stretched wide and the creature was standing on six legs its next arched upwards then down so that its house sized head was level with Axel's body. Its six red eyes glared at the creatures before him. All the wolves were frozen with fear except the alpha.

The Red-Eyed Dragon opened its mouth, poisonous saliva stretching widely. It hissed. The creature created such a massive spike in temperature that at least two feet of water had evaporated from the massive lake already and fish were dead on the surface. The dragon suddenly reared up on its back legs and stretched its four arms in a loud roar that echoed through the valley. Axel drew his arm close then threw it out and pointed at the wolves yelling burn them.

The Dragon obeyed. It drew deep breath and let low a massive wave of red and black flames. The wolves vanished but the attack did not easily die the moment the dragon stopped. The flames traveled across the lake and exploded in the center. The Dragon snorted and glared down at Axel in a way that said you summoned me for that? The fire world began to vanish and the Dragon let out another earth shattering roar and vanished in a burst of flames. Axel bent over and caught his breath. Paine was right- summoning the Dragon really took a toll on the person.

His Dragoon form faded and he put his hands on his knees and then stood up straight. "That wasn't really necessary," Paine said folding her arms but she was smiling slightly. Axel grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Impressive though, now you've summoned you Dragon you are officially a Dragon Knight." She glanced at Roxas who was awake and looked quite worried. Axel hurried over to him but Roxas insisted that he was fine. "Anyways now that the distraction is over let's continue."

They managed to get through the worst part of the woods before night fall. Stopped at a safe spot up on the cliffs, but the next morning they received a shock. "The capital is only a little ways away You should get there before night fall," Paine said.

"You're not coming?" Axel said sounding confused.

"I have business to attend to right now. I will be there tomorrow." She looked at Axel. "In the mean time, you guys need to gather all the info you can. There is a massive library in the city and should have books on the moon objects." Paine transformed and flew off.

"I'll see you guys later also," Demyx said cheerily.

"You too?" Roxas asked sounding suspicious. Demyx grinned.

"My parents live around here I wanted to go check up on them. I'll be there tonight. Promise." He also transformed and flew off.

"I wonder about him," Xigbar said shaking his head. "You okay Lex?" Axel glanced at Lexaeus, who looked slightly out of breath.

"We should all walk with Lexaeus," Axel said looking around. "The air seems to be heavy on him."

* * *

Meanwhile on the tallest volcanic mountain in Mille Seseau…

Riku looked down into the black and red pit below. The Dragon Buster was tight in his hands. "Next to Soa you are the strongest being in existence," he said to the dark shape bellow. He snorted in a laugh. "Hatred of my kind has kept you alive all these years and look where it landed you. Chained inside a mountain. Even the humans abandoned you after the war. The Dragoons were supposed to be your friends? Friends indeed; they are the reason you are here, are they not?"

The beast below growled which made the mountain shake and the lava below boil even more. Riku glanced at one of the chains beaten in to the earth next to him. Each link was easily the size of ship the dragoons had come on. He then looked down to see the red glow. It was round but with a slit through the center. It glared hatefully at him. The chains rattled causing the mountain to shutter and the lava to boil up again.

"The King of the Dragons, the King of the _World_, really." He raised the sword. "Not for long. Let's see what you can do even after all these years." The sword sliced through the massive chain next to him and it slide down into the lava below causing the ground the shake and crack. The sound of snapping metal and shattering earth cut the air.

Riku watched the seven legs stretch wide and easily come out of the mouth of the volcano. The head reared up an stretched. The red eye on the chin of the dragon was bigger than the chain link he had just cut. The six wings were all different colors but were closed at the moment. The Dragon opened his mouth and let out a roar that carried on for miles. His fangs and razor teeth stretched and his tongue lashed out at the fresh air above. Riku could hear below the stretching of the dragon's legs and tail. The body cracked in sound like avalanches but soon its neck, head and wings were back in the mountain.

Now free, the dragon was stretching its body and getting ready to take his first flight. A few moments later Riku was thrown back and fell to the ground as the dragon shot high into the air bring with it house sized boulders and a cloud of ash. All wings stretched it released a fiery blast down onto the surrounding mountains. It then landed stretched its wings and folded the scales on the back of its neck as a white light collect in the eye on his chin. It became a soul sucking vortex of white blue light which then traveled down it's neck. Aiming nothing at the continuing mountain ranged the dragon lower its neck and let loose with the powerful blast from the cannon on his back. The attack incinerated mountains turning them to flat, barren, burning plains.

Riku stood up, unable to hear anything after the concussion of the blast, but he was grinning. He would let the dragon burn its energy down and was delighted as it took off and flew away from the mountains. He would have that dragon's power soon enough and with it nothing would stand in his way, he would be able to create his utopia and protect it also.

"The Divine Dragon flies again," he said throwing his arm into the air.

* * *

Disclaimer: O_o DIVINE DRAGON CANNNON! You're dead hehehe. Random adding of The Gold Dragoon only because in LOD you have to travel back to Serdio to buy it from merchant after you add Kongol to the team. -_- really dumb because he charges you an outrages price. As it looks like a gold nugget why not have a random stranger drop it? Anyways Riku you sneak devil releasing the King of Dragons. You know this will back fire on you later. And yes people the Divine dragon has seven wings seven eyes, a cannon and his can launch fire blasts from his chest. (.com/gallery/#/d2zro8) Link to a picture of Divine Dragon if you don't know what he looks like. There are also clips on youtube of his attacks if you want to see him in his 3d glory.

Yeah we don't own any of this.


	21. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

The five men were glad that they were travelling Mille Seseau during the warm months. There were, after all, four seasons in this country: almost winter, winter, just past winter, and _thank the gods it's warm_.

It had just gotten to the 'just past winter' part of the year. They wouldn't need to buy coats.

Roxas was eager to step into the new city, and was dragging a laughing Axel behind him as he struggled to run ahead to see everything. Lately, he'd just been feeling like he wanted to see everything there was to see, get a feel for everything around him. And, he didn't want to wait for anything.

So, Axel just laughing as he held Roxas back was very annoying to the blond.

But, eventually, they made it in the gates. Xigbar and Lexaeus decided to rummage around the shops, to stock up on supplies they might need for the colder area. Zexion mumbled something about the largest library in Endiness, and excused himself from the group at about the same time. Axel just smiled and put his arm around Roxas's shoulders. "Guess that leaves you and me to find out about the third moon object, huh?"

Roxas shrugged. "As long as I get to see the whole city, whatever," he said as he wrapped his arm around Axel's waist.

They walked around the main plaza for a while, and then Axel asked, "Roxas? Do you think I have a girly figure?"

Roxas shook his head. "I think you're as manly as they come, Ax," he said.

Axel let the subject drop. Asking Roxas was stupid anyway- the teen was biased. He loved Axel; of course he wouldn't make a stab at his masculinity. Maybe, later, he'd ask Xigbar. Xigbar would tell him the truth.

There was a group of people all listening to a man on a pedestal. He was dressed in black robes and seemed to be leading the people in a worship ceremony of sorts. Axel stopped Roxas and nodded his head toward the group. Roxas sighed, but turned with Axel to listen in on the man's speech. "The Divine Tree lives in our hearts, every one of us. The Last Fruit has been protected from evil by the Signets created by the ancient winglies- proving that there is a little good in everyone, and everyone is your brother."

The crowd all said their "Amen"s, some louder than others. Even Roxas said it quietly. This preacher was certainly for peace between everyone. It was refreshing, having been raised in a war-ridden country, for the both of them.

"There is a legend," the Preacher went on, "When the Signet is broken, the end of the world approaches." The crowd gasped, like they'd never heard that before, but Axel snorted. _Of course_ they'd never heard that the world was going to end… "Just like the Last Fruit, we Humans are one of the fruits give life by the Divine Tree. For the 'End of the World' to be a mere legend, we must remove evil from our hearts and live in harmony."

Again, the crowd nodded and "Amen"-ed. Some even threw their hands in the air and said, "By Soa, the Creator!"

Again, Roxas joined in quietly. And, Axel snorted. _This is getting ridiculous…_

"It is our mission as children of the Divine Tree," the Preacher concluded, and started to lead the crowd into a prayer for peace. Axel tugged on Roxas's hand and walked them away from the crowd.

"I've never heard of the Divine Tree," Axel said as they walked. "Have you?"

Roxas shrugged. "Just from school, myths and such," he said. "It's called the 'Tree of Life,' and it's said that all life comes from it. The Creator, Soa sowed the seed, grew the tree, and from it, one-hundred and eight fruits came and populated the world."

Axel bit his lip. "Wow… you learned that in school?"

Roxas laughed. "That, and some of us actually paid attention to the bedtime stories that Mom used to tell," he said. He thought for a moment. "Actually, if we wanted to find out more about it, that library that Zexion went to would probably have something on the Tree."

"Do you want to go?"

"And see Zexion in his true element?" Roxas laughed. "No way."

* * *

Zexion, upon stepping into the building, looked around himself in awe. "This is incredible," he murmured, and walked forward to touch some of them. Every inch of the walls was covered with books on every subject. He found a section on the Dragon Campaign, pulled a large volume off the shelf and sat down at a desk and began reading.

_The Divine Moon objects were related to the Dragon Campaign_, he concluded after a chapter and a half. _But, how?_

"King Zexion?"

Zexion looked up to see a young man, about Roxas's age, with an armful of books and a smile. He was larger than most, dressed in a red tunic with a simple red belt over his trousers. Zexion was instantly worried; no one was supposed to know he wasn't in Serdio. He stood up with his book and readied his Dragoon Spirit. "How did you know?"

"I'm Pence," the teen said. "I actually worked in the castle library back in Bale for a summer."

Zexion let his Spirit rest. The boy was obviously not a threat. "So," Zexion said, "What are you doing here?"

Pence nodded to the books in his arms. "Better pay," he said simply. "Are you interested in the Dragon Campaign, Your Majesty?"

Zexion nodded. "Very interested," he said. "What do you know?"

The book boy put the books down on the table and sat across from Zexion and explained the bits of the Dragon Campaign that Zexion didn't know. He nodded, understanding everything Pence was saying. Apparently, the winglies didn't just dominate over the humans, but also the gods. The gods answered to the winglie dictator Xemnas's prayers and granted him ultimate power, which, of course, was abused. The country Gloriano to the far north became a wasteland under his rule and power. The anger and sadness of the people fueled the Dragoon's cause, and, at last, the gods were freed. Without the god's help and power, the winglies fell and the Human Age began.

"That's where the Moon That Never Sets comes in," Pence said. Zexion chewed his tongue thoughtfully as he listened. "It's said to be the home of the gods, and for eleven thousand years, they have been looking over the world as that Moon."

Zexion nodded. Pence smiled and stood up. "That's what I know of the Dragon Campaign. If you want to find out anything else about its effects on Mille Seseau, you could check the reference room, upstairs." He bowed slightly to Zexion and went back to re-shelving books.

He thought back on what he learned. Most important to that story was the bit about the gods being on the Moon. He turned around in his seat and saw Pence climbing a ladder to put a book away. He quickly looked around, and was thankful that no one else was in the library. "Hey, Pence?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Pence called.

"What do you know about the Moon Child?"

Zexion could hear the smile in Pence's voice as he spoke. "Well, you know that the Moon That Never Sets glows red every one-hundred and eight years, right? So, it's a sign that a herald will be sent to our world, known to us as the Moon Child. The legends go that the Moon Child will revive the gods to our world and purify everything. But, uh, the Black Monster keeps killing it," he said and started slowing down his speech. "It's bad karma, I think. The gods stay in the sky, and the world is in never-ending chaos, all because this demon thinks he's a rebel and hates the Moon Child."

The teen looked down from the ladder. "Is there any more, Your Majesty?"

Zexion shook his head. Axel would want to push Pence for information on the Black Monster later, if Zexion told him. But, for now, it was enough. He stood up, took in one last look around the library, sighed, and left.

He still had no leads on the Moon Objects, but had gained some insight on the Moon Child, and a better understanding of the Moon That Never Sets. Whatever it was worth, at least he knew more than before.

* * *

Paine walked through the ruins of a town, stepping over stones and through empty arches. This place had been busy and perky, eighteen years ago. But, the Black Monster had changed that. She looked to her left. A sign read _Welcome to Neet_, _The North Port._

It shouldn't have been this way. If people had known that the Moon Child was the embodiment of evil, they would never look upon it, and therefore wouldn't have to die. But, the tragedy was, the Moon Child had been born royal eighteen years ago, and so was brought from town to town to be presented.

So many had to die, it made Paine sick just thinking about it.

She knelt by a tombstone, brushed her fingers along it. All these people that died would have given their lives for the Moon Child as it was- they died protecting their "god" whether they knew it or not.

"_Where is Prince Sora?" the Black Monster asked a knight stationed in Neet._

"_I will never tell you!" The Black Monster sneered and ran a sword through the knight's stomach. With a deathly gurgle, the knight fell to his knees and then the snow on the ground was stained red._

Paine shook her head. The Moon Child had passed through Neet. They all had to die.

But, Axel didn't. Axel survived the attack. And, he didn't seem _that_ affected by the loss of the Moon Child.

She stood up. It was in the past. It didn't matter anymore. And, it won't matter for another ninety years.

* * *

Demyx skipped along the tree trunks and ducked under the tree limbs. It's been a long time since he'd seen his family, and he was definitely eager to see his friends again.

He ducked out of the way of a fireball blasting through the trees. "Oh, wow…" He looked up and saw one of the townspeople running over to him. "Hey, watch it!"

A girl's voice spoke. "Who are you, coming through the boundary?"

Demyx instant cheered up even more. He stood up and brushed off his pants. "Nami, you remember me, right?" He held out his arms to the girl as she came closer and he smiled. She was just the way he'd remembered- shoulder length platinum hair, thin frame, and excellent legs.

His sister, Namine.

She stormed up to him and slapped his cheek, but even through the pain, he could see she was smiling. "You left without telling me! I thought we told each other everything!"

"Hey, hey! I came back, didn't I?" Demyx pulled her into a big hug and twirled her around. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Well, sure, but I doubt anyone else will be," Namine said. "You broke our biggest rule, Dem. No one's supposed to leave the forest."

Demyx looked over Namine's head and saw three older men strolling up along the branches. All of them had the same platinum hair that Namine did, and Demyx pulled away from his sister.

One of the men pointed at Demyx and said, "You are not welcome here."

Demyx stomped his foot. "This is my home," he said, "I can come home any time!"

Then, the other two dashed forward, suspended on wings of light. One took Demyx by the wrist and twisted it behind his back. Namine gasped and cried for them to stop, but Demyx called forth his own wings and twisted with the man. He hovered slowly in front of them all and bit his lip.

"You are the black sheep of the proud Winglies, Demyx," another one said. "How _dare_ you shamelessly come back!"

"Living with _humans_? Really, Demyx, even covering up your hair?" This was the winglie that had spoken first. "No one ever thought you would stoop _that_ low."

The one that had attacked him spoke. "Leaving the forest is unforgivable, Demyx," he said. "Didn't you know that when you left for the human world?"

Demyx floated backwards a bit, so he was closer to Namine. "Yes, I knew," he muttered. "And, yes, there are bad humans, but there are so many good ones, too, ones you've never met and you shouldn't hate them!"

Namine shook her head. "Demyx, humans are afraid of us. We need to protect our way of life, and to do that we need to stay hidden," she said gently.

Demyx touched down and sighed. "Fine. I'll leave. It seems no one wants me here anyway," he said and turned to go back down the branches. Axel and the others were waiting for him in Deningrad, and he'll have to get there eventually. He _was_ a Dragoon now.

Namine walked up next to Demyx and called back to the other winglies, "I'll make sure he leaves!" Then she turned to Demyx and, more gently, said, "It's not all your fault, you know. Everyone's tense lately."

Demyx laughed. "It has something to do with why the animals in the forest are freaking out all the time, right?"

She nodded. "The Ancestor said that it's because a dragon has been brought back to life. This one's really strong, one that even the ancient ones couldn't defeat," she said.

They stopped where the barrier was and Demyx looked down at her. "Does the Ancestor know which it is?"

Another nod. "He called it the King of Dragons, the Divine Dragon. The seal that was placed on it is half dissolved. That's why everyone's nervous."

"But, don't we have a Dragon Block Staff? And a Dragon Buster?" Demyx wrung his hands. This wasn't good, if a strong dragon was loose. Dragons were stupid, and stupid and powerful don't go well together.

"The Dragon Buster is gone," Namine whispered. "Everyone knows it wasn't you, Demyx, but people are _still_ wondering why you left in the first place."

Demyx pulled his sister into a hug. "You should see it, Nami," he whispered. "The world out there is a hundred times bigger than the forest. And humans are pretty nice if you find the right ones."

Namine smiled. "You made friends, huh?"

"Yeah," Demyx sighed. "I'd love to take you with me, but I'm not going to risk you being hated by everyone, too." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Good-bye, sis."

Then, he turned and went through the barrier, and then could no longer see Namine. It was the magic behind the barrier, to prevent humans from reaching their town. He placed his hand where he knew she could reach, and knew she was gently pressing her hand to his.

He tapped into his Spirit and flew away, winking at her. Namine would never tell that he was a Dragoon. The secret was safe with her.

* * *

Axel was frantically gathering up the other Dragoons. He and Roxas had both felt it- something was wrong. Something was dreadfully, terribly wrong.

Zexion was easy enough to find after making a stop at the library. They had informed each other about what they'd learned. Axel was, indeed, very interested to find out that the book boy, Pence, knew about the Black Monster. But it would have to wait for later.

Xigbar and Lexaeus were a little harder to find, as they were still walking around the city. They found them by the city entrance, talking to Paine. She smirked when she saw Axel, Roxas, and Zexion, and then questioned, "Did you find out anything about Riku?"

Three heads shook. "Anyone seen Demyx?" Axel asked.

"Right here!" The perky blond was skipping into the city, over to them. He was trying to hide his worry over the Divine Dragon, and hopefully it was working.

But, then it happened. The sky went dark as a large fast _thing_ flew over the city. It called out in a loud roar as its seven wings flapped furiously against the wind. Demyx whimpered. Xigbar braced himself, as did Lexaeus. Paine took a single step backwards. Zexion grabbed Demyx's hand and squeezed. Axel pulled Roxas against his chest and covered the teen's head.

The whole city was quiet until it passed, and then everyone started screaming.

"The King of Dragons," Paine whispered.

"It was supposed to be sealed underground!" Demyx said.

Zexion let Demyx's hand go and sighed. "We'll need to see the Queen of Mille Seseau," he said. "Most likely, we'll need her approval to do anything with the Dragon without the knights freaking out."

The others all nodded. This was Zexion's territory; they'll just stand back and let him do his thing.

* * *

The Queen sat at her throne, watching the spectacle happen as the Dragoons entered the room. Her adopted daughter, height challenged and a little bit of a temper, was yelling at the Commander of the knights.

"You're an idiot!" She turned and kicked the man in his stomach, sending him stumbling back into the Dragoons. She stormed over to him, her dark hair falling in her face with every step. "Try to be more confident next time, hmm?"

The Dragoons parted for the Knight to crawl away and out of the throne room. Zexion caught the girl's eyes and bowed slightly, then motioned for the others to bow behind him.

"Do I know you?" the girl asked, not an ounce of the rudeness she'd had before in her voice.

Zexion sighed. "We met once, when we were little. Xion, right?" The dark-haired girl nodded. Zexion smiled. "Zexion, King of Serdio."

Xion smiled. "I heard you all destroyed the threat in the Bay before, at Prison Island. Thank you for that," she said. "Can I help you?"

Zexion nodded to the Queen. "May we speak with her?"

"Sure," Xion said and led the way up to the seat. "How old were we when we met?" she asked Zexion.

"I think I was eight, so that would have made you… five?"

"Sounds right," she said. "Queen Theresa, this is King Zexion and guests," she said to the woman sitting on the chair.

The Queen nodded. "Zexion. It's been a long time since you've come for a visit," she said. Zexion smiled.

"Too long, Theresa."

"What brings you here?"

He turned to Paine and motioned for her to step up next to him. He introduced her as a companion of his, and let her speak. "The Divine Dragon flew over us just now, Your Majesty," she said, and heard both the Queen and Xion gasp. "We are the Dragoons, ones with the power to defeat the dragon. If we are going to cross swords with this beast, though, we'll need something else- The Dragon Block Staff."

Demyx gasped. "How do you know about that?" he said, and then covered his mouth. _Shit, that wasn't supposed to come out!_ Everyone, even Lexaeus, turned and looked at him questioningly.

The Queen nodded. "What does it do?" she asked.

Paine continued slowly, while staring at Demyx. "It's a magic staff, created by the winglies to block the power of Dragons. I was going to ask you where it might be, but it seems that one of us already knows."

"Demyx?" Axel asked.

Xigbar looked on without emotion. He'd figured something was up with that boy since they'd first met him.

"Please! For the sake of my country, where is it?" Xion asked.

Demyx bit his lip and turned around while jumping.

"You're hesitating," Lexaeus said.

"I can't tell you!" Demyx yelled. He stopped jumping around and whispered. "But, I'll show you." He nodded to the Queen. "I'm sorry, Queen Theresa, but I swore I wouldn't tell where it was. But, I never said I wouldn't _show_…"

Paine nodded. Xion spoke up, turned to her adopted mother, and said, "I'm going to go with them."

Axel groaned. "Another one to keep track of?" he muttered.

* * *

As they were prepping to leave the castle, they ended up getting separated. Roxas finally let go of Axel's hand and smiled. "I'm just gonna go look around for a bit," he said and walked away.

Then, ten minutes later, he still hadn't come back. Axel knew he would just have to give Roxas time and he'd find his way back, but Xion was tapping her foot and crossing and uncrossing her arms.

"Where is he?"

Axel looked around the entrance hall at the rest of the Dragoons. Xigbar nodded and pushed off where he'd been leaning against the wall. "Let's go."

Paine started walking away. "Split up and send a message through the Spirits if you find him."

Demyx and Zexion took the basement areas, Xion and Axel started walking after Paine through the main hallway, and Xigbar and Lexaeus headed upstairs. But, before they had even gotten out of eyesight of each other, they were headed towards where Paine had gone- Roxas obviously hadn't been very far away.

Axel ran into the room and saw Roxas lying on the ground, Paine kneeling next to him trying to tap into the White-Silver dragon to wake him up. He fell to his knees next to Roxas's head and gently lifted the blond into his lap. When he tried tapping into Roxas's Spirit, the world exploded in a flash of white.

Then, Roxas's eyes flitted open. "Ax…?"

Zexion looked around. "What is this room for, Xion?"

"The whole castle used to be a Winglie fort," she explained. "This room used to be a chamber for a ceremony to seal something, more than ten thousand years ago."

Axel wasn't bothering with listening. "Why did you come here alone? Were you called again, like with the virage?" he asked.

Roxas groaned. "No… I just woke up here," he said. "I feel hot…"

The blond closed his eyes and the white light from the Dragoon Spirit shined brightly, then dimmed out. Roxas let a tear slip. "She's gone," he whispered. "I don't feel her power anymore…"

Xion stepped forward, and the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit glowed again. Paine snapped it off of Roxas's neck and gave it to Xion, where it glowed just as brightly as it had before. Xion gasped. "What is this?"

Demyx smiled sadly. "You're a Dragoon, Xion."

Axel leaned over Roxas's head while the teen let the tears fall. He felt so _empty_ now, without the Dragon there.

* * *

They had to leave Roxas in the castle. Nothing else could be done about it, Paine had said. The White-Silver Dragon had recognized Xion as its new master, and the stone barely sparkled anymore in Roxas's hand. After asking the others to leave them alone, Axel kissed him softly and promised they would be back after they dealt with the Divine Dragon.

"Wait for me?"

Roxas smiled and touched his face. "Always, Axel." They kissed once more, and then Roxas asked to see Xion alone.

As she walked into the room, Roxas smiled sadly at her. She was confident, that was for sure, but he wondered if it would hurt her someday. "You wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Can you promise me something?"

Xion nodded hesitantly.

"Take care of him for me," Roxas whispered. Xion reached for his hand and as they touched, she smiled.

"Of course, Roxas."

* * *

Deep in the Evergreen Forest, the Dragoons followed Demyx as he walked through paths that weren't there the first time they went through it. Where Paine had actually liked Demyx before, and trusted him above just about everyone, now he had a sword to his back while the others stayed away from her.

Xion hadn't gotten the chance to use her new Spirit, but she was starting to understand why it bothered Roxas so much when the Dragon stopped talking to him. The White-Silver Dragon was a calming presence that was like a happy, talkative friend. Without the talking, of course.

Axel, Xigbar, Lexaeus, and Zexion were quiet, hoping that Paine didn't loose herself if they found out something about Demyx that they really didn't want to know. Xigbar thought he knew exactly what was up with Demyx, but he didn't want to make any accusations, especially because Demyx was, well, _Demyx._ Even if he turned out to be a threat, Demyx wouldn't hurt them.

"Here it is," Demyx said.

Axel looked around. "But, we're in the middle of the forest, aren't we?"

Lexaeus nodded. "What's in the middle of the forest?"

Zexion groaned and stepped forward. He put his hand on Paine's arm and said, "Give him a chance to explain, would you?"

Paine and Xion groaned. _Men…_

The blond teen bit his lip. And then, he lifted his hand and pointed it at a small break in the trees. An eerie blue circle of light appeared, and through it, the Dragoons could see a small village sitting in the trees. They gasped quietly, and Demyx explained. "Winglies live in this forest, hidden from the humans. Many that still live are angry about loosing, and others just don't want to be bothered by trying to live with humans."

Axel groaned. "You're a winglie, aren't you?"

Demyx nodded. "Surprised?"

Zexion and Xigbar shook their heads. Then, Lexaeus explained, "You have platinum roots. I can see them from here."

Paine and Xion stepped backwards. "Why didn't you tell us?" Paine asked.

He groaned. "Would you have ever trusted me if you'd known?"

The humans all looked at each other. Paine was the first to speak, and said, "Honestly, I'd like to say I would have given you a chance. But I probably would have tried to kill you instantly."

Xion agreed with a sharp nod.

Demyx winced and muttered, "At least they don't beat around the bush…"

Xigbar walked up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Since we're all being honest, I wouldn't have trusted you for a little while, but I would have warmed up eventually," he said.

Lexaeus just nodded. Demyx understood that to mean that the big guy would have slept with one eye open for a while at least.

The only two not to react yet were Zexion and Axel. The two just shrugged. "It doesn't matter now, does it?" Axel said.

"Yeah," Zexion nodded, "you're a Dragoon, and you've helped us a lot in the past few weeks. Even if you didn't have our trust at first, you've certainly gained it by now."

Demyx smiled. He jumped and turned around, waving his hand at the barrier and the group watched as the trees that were in the way disappeared. Xion gasped. "It's a whole town of winglies! Living in my country!"

The youngest Dragoon walked forward and led the rest of them through the barrier.

* * *

Just as Demyx thought, there was still the petite blonde girl sitting on a stump near the entrance to the town, and he smiled as he ran up to her and picked her up.

"Demyx!" She turned around. "By the Creator, Demyx, don't do that!"

The boy just smiled. "Nice to see you again, too, Nami," he said.

She looked over his shoulder and backed up, taking a fighting stance as her wings of light picked her up off the ground. "_Humans?_"

Demyx stood in front of the other Dragoons and tried to calm her down. "They're my friends, Namine! We're here to help!"

She floated backwards. "Haven't they done enough? Backing us into a forest for eleven millennia wasn't enough, Demyx?" She touched down on the ground and shook him off when he tried to reach out for her. "No. No, you've gone too far this time! The Ancestor will have to deal with you now!"

Then she turned and ran into the village, Demyx calling after her.

Axel walked up first and put his hand on Demyx's shoulder. "She'll warm up, Dem. Don't worry about it."

Paine stepped forward with Lexaeus and Xigbar, and said, "We have a staff to retrieve, Demyx." The men that had been traveling with her were worried at the twinge of empathy in her voice- who was this girl and what did she do with their bad-ass Paine?

Demyx nodded. "We'll have to talk with the Ancestor. He'll know where to get it."

"I thought you said you knew where it was?" Xion said.

"Demyx!" The blond looked up to see a group of angry winglies flying toward them, Namine in the front, ahead of them all. She touched down next to him and sighed.

The other Dragoons took a stance, but relaxed when Demyx waved his hand at them. "They just want you to leave. They're after me," he said. Namine shook her head.

"I just told the Ancestor about you and the humans, and he's agreed to meet with you, but the mob doesn't want humans in the forest," she said, and looked back. They had stopped at the entrance to the town, and were waiting for Demyx to take another step forward. "If you can stay here, I'll go and get the Ancestor to come out here."

"Why are you doing this now, Nami?" Demyx whispered. "Just a few minutes ago, you were condemning me like the rest of them. What changed?"

Nami kissed his cheek. "The Ancestor said that forgiveness is my gift. And, I just don't feel whole holding a grudge against anyone, especially you," she said. "Will you be alright until I get back?"

Demyx smirked. "We'll go with you," he said. Then, he tapped into his Spirit and felt the armor of the Blue-Sea Dragon wrap around him and the large wings protrude from his back, and he walked with Namine forward, into the town. The other Dragoons also tapped and transformed, all except Xion, who stayed next to Xigbar.

"When do I get to learn how to use this thing?"

Xigbar laughed. "Poppet, we'll get you trained as soon as possible. Right now, we need the staff."

They passed through the mob as the winglies glared at Namine and stared at Demyx. He heard the whispered, "traitor!" and, "human-lover!" and he pulled Namine into his arms and started to fly, the other Dragoons following him, and then the mob.

"This was a bad idea, Demyx!" Namine said.

Xigbar had grabbed Xion and was bringing up the rear and Xion called up to the others that the mob was getting closer. Xigbar groaned and passed Zexion, giving him a little nod. Zexion turned around, flying backwards, and turned the wind against the mob, slowing them down enough for them to reach the ancestor.

Demyx lead the group into the house of the Ancestor, and just as Namine and Xion were being let down, a light, airy voice called from across the room, "So, the prodigal son returns."

Demyx dismissed his armor and immediately fell to a knee, as did Namine. First, Namine apologized for having taken so long bringing the humans to him, and then Demyx cried, "I'm not sorry for leaving!"

The Ancestor stepped forward and smiled. The other Dragoons gasped- he looked almost identical to Demyx, but with longer, silver hair. "I know, son."

* * *

Disclaimer: =P

Cy: Well… that took longer than it should have.


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

Chapter Twenty-One

Paine stepped forward keeping her wings almost completely extended. She was trying to be intimidating and it appeared to be working on the few guards in the room. "We have little time left at the moment you can settle family affairs later," she said snappily. "You know the Divine Dragon is free and we need that staff."

"I'm afraid that we do not have the staff on hand. It is currently locked and protected in the Forbidden lands," the old Winglie said. Paine hardly looked impressed by this.

"What are the Forbidden lands?" Axel asked.

"The Ancient and dead capital of the Winglies," Demyx's father replied smoothly. "After the war we took the two weapons and sealed them away. No one goes there anymore it is against the laws." He looked at them closely. "If you follow me I can show you the way to the Forbidden land but finding the staff will be your doing." He spread his wings and disappeared.

"We have to go up." Demyx told them as he jabbed a finger into the air, he tapped into his dragoon and lead them up through the ceiling and out into the air.

* * *

On the top of the tower they found a stair case which lead to a small platform. There was green circle which pulsed with an eerie light. Axel looked around at the tall trees and then spotted the massive hops which disappeared to the east. Demyx's father was hovering a few feet from the platform. "This teleporter is the last connection to the old city," he said pointing. "It still works but only one way. Once there, you cannot return the same way you came."

"I think we can handle that," Axel said to the old Winglie.

"Then stand here." Demyx glanced back at Namine then at Axel and they nodded. The Dragoons walked up to the platform and looked around. "I'll send you there now," Demyx's father said.

"You don't have the power to do it yourself!" Demyx yelled pushing Xigbar out of the way. However, his father did not listen. He threw his hands forward and summoned a green sphere. The platform below them began to glow green. Demyx's father struggled to keep the spell going. Namine flew forward and raised her hands. Demyx turned to see several other winglies fly up and use their magic as well.

"You better get that staff and kill the dragon!" one of the older male winglies yelled at Demyx. Demyx smiled and nodded his head.

* * *

The green sphere around them dissipated and it took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the duller light around them. The sun was beginning to set causing the toppled city before them to glow a gold color. Paine's heart began to race. _So this was where it had fallen. She had wondered for a long time if it had been buried by the waves, the city still practically stood, at a lopsided angle and still horrific to the mind and soul._

"I don't like it here," Axel immediately said looking at the place. "I can feel a burning hatred in my body."

"This was the floating capital of the Winglies during the Dragon Campaign." Paine said walking forward and then stopping. "This was the outer ring that kept it afloat," she said pointing around. "The humans had machines that shot out these rings." She looked around then at them. "We have to hurry and get the staff before the Divine Dragon decides to attack again." Axel nodded and lead the group with Paine.

Xion looked around but could not move. The shadows were advancing on her. Someone put their hand on her back and pushed her forward. "Come on, poppet," Xigbar said pushing her forward. "We have a job to do." Xion looked back to the area where they appeared to see the shadows creeping around.

"Where do you think the staff is?" Xion asked Axel.

"Most likely in the center," Zexion muttered as he glanced at her.

"The real question is what here that is creating this feeling?" Axel said as they moved through the ruble.

"It's something dark that is for sure," Xigbar said helping Xion over the ruble. "What do you think, Paine?" Paine did not answer. She looked over the city trying to locate the source of the pulsing hatred. There were so many things that could be living here so it was difficult to come to a single conclusion.

"Something familiar," she said slowly. She glanced down at them. "All I can say is stay on your toes. This place held many blood thirsty beasts in the past. Many of them may still be here."

"That's nice to know," Zexion muttered.

Xion turned around and saw nothing. A chill fell over her body and she stayed where she was. Something moved through the darkness and she drew her sword. Xigbar turned and saw Xion looking around, Axel also stopped and so did Paine. "Xion get out of the way!" Paine roared. Something shut up through the ground and Xion jumped back with incredible speed. She landed then charged forward slicing through the tentacle like thing. Paine ran forward and tapped into her Dragoon.

It was impossible, this creature this was the one that killed him. She summoned her sword and threw it down into the void. There was an angry hissing sound and Paine flew away as the creature burst through the ruble.

"What in Soa's name!" Zexion yelled as the beast surfaced. It resembled a Virage but it was massive. It had a long spiked arm with tentacle like fingers and two claws almost hidden. It appeared that there had been a double of this arm but it was missing. Its two massive arms in front of its chest were clamped tight protecting its small head.

"A super Virage!" Paine yelled as the creature swung its massive arm. Axel and the others transformed and dodged out of the way as the Super Virage pulled itself up out of the ruble. "The guardian of Kedessa."

Xion jumped over the ruble and dodged the falling stones. She found a safe spot then ran right at it. Xigbar flew over head and let loose a barrage stopping the creature from making a grab at her. Xion jumped up and felt a sudden warmth and burst of energy. She spread her wings and short forward digging the sword deep into the scaly flesh of the creature's armless left shoulder. Paine shot by a moment later creating another deep cut.

"No good! It can heal!" Xigbar yelled as he flew over head.

"They have weak spots but each one is different! Find it and strike," Paine commanded. "You will know when you find it." Demyx flew up fast then dived summoning a burst of water. Before it hit, he froze it so the ice shot through the super virage's shoulder. Axel followed up immediately with his final burst spell but the effects were the same: it healed.

"It doesn't have an element, does it!" Zexion yelled as he summoned a wind to protect Xion from a swipe.

"Find out," Paine snapped back at him. "It's immune to our attacks." She glanced at Xion. She was angry that they had to train a new dragoon, but Xion had a sense of skill much like Axel did. She had taken to the dragoon almost immediately much like Xigbar had. "Xion!" Paine yelled. "Try using a spell!"

"How do I do that?" She yelled back sounding very concerned. Paine was about to yell but she had to dodge, Axel swopped in and blocked the creature's hand.

"You have to look deep into yourself," Xigbar said stopping next to Zexion. "It's hard to do the first time when you're moving. Try to feel the Dragon, we'll hold this off, right Zexy?" He laughed at Zexion's face, then faced the creature. Xion closed her eyes feeling rather dumb, how was looking into herself supposed to help. She remembered Roxas and what he said.

"_Take care of him for me." _

_"Of course, Roxas."_

A strange light filled her heart and she could hear a soft voice. It was speaking about the stars. Xion opened her eyes and raised her hands. She was very unsure if this was going to work, she was more unsure if she could even use the spell. She saw Xigbar dodge away and she threw down her arms. "Star Children!" The stars above burst into life and suddenly the Virage was being hammered by burst of light. It coward and made a weird hissing sound.

"It's dark based!" Paine yelled Axel turned to look at her. "Axel," Axel nodded he flew back far and drew his hands back. He tried to remember what it was like when Roxas was in danger. He opened his eyes and threw his hand forward so that the dragon dived. Am moment later the Virage was locked in combat.

"It's still too big to be taken by one," Zexion yelled. Lexaeus dived, drawing back his tomahawk. He sliced through one of the smaller arms. Xion flew around the creature. Paine had said they had a weak spot, maybe Lexaeus was on to something. The Virage was keeping that part of its body protected and it kept turning from the burning dragon. Xion dived and folded her wings in.

She was a sacred sister of Millie Seasu and one of the strongest fighters in the country, she was not going to be out-witted by a mindless beast. She dodged around the creature's arms and drove the sword through its middle. The Virage made an angry hissing noise and then a clicking. Xigbar grabbed Xion's arm and pulled her away.

"What?"

"When things start to tick its time to get far away," he said, glancing back. The fire dragon disappeared along with all the Dragoons. The Virage made one last cry before it exploded. "Oh shit." He pushed Xion forward drew his hand back and threw it forward twisting so the electricity allowed him to punch through the house sized stone. Zexion came from above and threw his arms down slicing through the shockwave and the debris with a violent gust of wind.

"I officially hate those things," he said angrily.

"What? Didn't hate them before?" Xigbar chuckled glancing to Xion. "You alright, poppet?"

"I'm fine and stop calling me poppet," she said angrily. Xigbar grinned then looked up to the others.

"It would have been nice if you warned us that it could do that," Lexaeus muttered to Paine.

"I was not aware that they could blow themselves up," she said sounding more honest then she normally did. "We're wasting time we need to locate the Dragon Blocking staff."

"That thing left a massive hole in the ground. Do you think it was guarding it?" Xion asked looking at them.

"That makes sense," Demyx said looking at Paine. "I'm not sure what my ancestors had protecting the things."

"It was missing an arm," Xigbar said folding his arms. "Part of the wound was old you could tell the other was more resent. Maybe Riku faced the Virage to get to where they were hidden?"

"And leave the thing alive to make it look like nothing was taken," Axel continued. "That would be something he would do. What do you think, Paine?"

"Being out in the open like this is not a good thing," she said. "We'll look down there."

"Let's rest for a while first," Xigbar said grabbing Xion's arm and pulling her close. "We have one down."

* * *

Axel looked up at the stars and then the Moon That Never Set. There was so much he still did not know. Something was going on, something bigger but he did not know what, it was the Dragon that seemed to sense what was going on. The Dragoon Spirits, however, were less willing to give up their secrets. He glanced at the group. It did not feel right without Roxas.

Xion was showing some promising signs as a Dragoon but Axel did not want her here. It was because of her that Roxas was not there. "Axel!" Axel turned and saw Paine and everyone else looking at him. "Let's go." Axel nodded and followed her.

"That was pretty fancy flying for someone who had never flown before." Demyx grinned to Xion.

"I've got a massive headache though," Xion said rubbing her forehead.

"It gets worse before it gets better," Xigbar said patting her on the shoulder. "We'll get you trained soon enough first we have a lizard to kill."

"The staff comes first," Axel reminded him. Xigbar shrugged and then looked at him.

"We could try to take it down without the staff, it would make it more interesting."

"You can do that if you want to be killed," Paine informed him. Demyx stopped and Lexaeus walked into him sending him flying forward.

"Sorry, Demyx." Lexaeus apologized as he picked the teen up.

"What's wrong, Demy?" Xigbar asked.

"Something," Demyx said looking around the dark hall. "Seems familiar, a sense." He paused and looked at the ceiling then down the hall way.

"What would seem familiar here?" Axel muttered.

"There used to be guardians in the woods to protect us. They all died before I was born but their skeletons remained as warnings to outsiders and deserters." He looked down the hallway. "Even when they are dead they still have the same magical signature." He walked forward carefully. "It would be very bad if one of them were to be alive."

"Why?" Zexion asked.

"The guardians of the winglies were strange and deadly creatures," Paine said following Demyx. "Which ones are you talking about?"

"Ghost statues." They entered a massive room, an empty room. They looked around then up. "The staff." Paine looked up and frowned. "What a nice place to stick it." Demyx said sarcastically. He spread his wings- the ones of light that proved his species- and flew up.

"Be careful Dem," Axel warned. Demyx waved Axel off, flipped upside down, grabbed the staff and pulled.

"Damn thing is stuck," he said angrily. He pushed with his knees and felt it move.

"Almost there Demyx!" Zexion said. Demyx pulled again and then realized there was something very wrong. He could feel a pulse under his feet. This was bad. He dropped from the ceiling and scrabbled away as the rock dropped from the ceiling. The other Dragons dived away as the thing flipped over and turned to them. Small lights were visible along the rock.

"You've got to be kidding me! Now the rocks are trying to kill us."

"That's not a rock," Demyx said standing up. "They are the creatures that guarded the forest."

"Looks like a rock to me Dem," Xigbar said backing away .

"Don't use your dragoons," Paine said cautiously. "It is drawing from the power of the staff."

"Then how do we get it?" Axel asked Paine.

"Kill it," Demyx responded.

"And you do that how?" Zexion snapped.

"These creatures died out because there was not enough energy around them to draw from."

"It's drawing energy from the staff," Xion finished and Demyx nodded.

"Alright you three," Axel said pointing at Demyx, Xion and Zexion. "Are small enough to get by us, we'll distract it so you can get up there and remove the staff." Zexion nodded along with the other two. Lexaeus charged forward, followed by Xigbar, Axel, then Paine. Zexion lead the other two around the battle. Demyx spread his wings, grabbed Xion's and Zexion's arms and flew them up.

"How do we get the staff out?"

"Here," Xion said handing Demyx her sword. She watched as Demyx tried to force the sword between the creature's rocky hide and the staff. They all stopped and looked at the staff as it glowed.

"That's not good..." Zexion said slowly. The area exploded in a burst of light sending them all back. Xion blinked and shook her head and ducked as a fire ball flew over head. The creature flipped over dropping Xion to the floor. Lexaeus moved in, grabbed the staff, and swung the creature around until the staff was dislodged.

"That worked!" Demyx laughed.

* * *

The sound of bubbling lava echoed through the volcano. The heat only fueled his rage. He spread his wings and flew up and landed on to top of the mountain. He raised his head and let out a might roar which shattered the air. They would pay for what they had done to his kind, they would pay for what they did to him. It was the time for their distraction. He pulled energy from the air, lowered his head and let lose the blast from his back. Several times he did this so that several mountain sides were nothing but ruble.

His strength was back so it was time. He spread his seven wings and took flight.

* * *

Xion examined the staff in her hands and then handed it back to Axel. "Will this really help us face the Divine Dragon?"

"I'm not sure." He looked at Paine who nodded. "It's the only thing we have." Demyx stopped and looked up.

"Something's wrong," Paine said immediately. The sun was barely in the sky yet a dark mass had just passed over them. "The Divine Dragon!"

* * *

The wind did not affect him as he flew; clouds rushed by but now the city was in sight. He let out an angry call letting them all know that he was back. He dived down folding his wings in. He could hear the beings below screaming. He threw out his wings before he hit the ground.

The very beat of his seven wings shattered the buildings below. How feeble the defenses were. He turned in the air flew up and hovered. He drew in the air around him and let lose the fiery barrage onto the city. He growled in delight as everything was consumed in angry flames. He landed on the ground and swung his tail around destroying anything he could touch. With a single arch and snap he caught up a mouthful of beings before swallowing them. They tasted differently then he remembered.

With a sweep of his wings he took off again. He scoured around the city several times occasionally letting loose his barrage of fire balls. Finally he found a cliff that was good enough for him to land. He landed and dug his claws deep into the icy ground. He raised his neck and head into the air, and sucked in the energy around him.

The light shimmered down his neck and to his back where he was storing his attack. He pulled in his scales, dropped his head and neck to the ground and let lose the Divine Dragon Cannon. He watched the blast shot through the center of the crystal palace. He raised his head so that he could see the crystals fall. However he was interested in something else. He drew in all his remaining energy and let loose the Cannon again and this time he hit his mark. The crystal on the top shattered. He looked up to see the beam of light shoot into the sky.

He opened his wings and took flight.

* * *

Disclaimer: Veroxen apologizes to everyone . I had emergency surgery early in December before that were a few ten page papers. I had this done before the mess but I think my brother deleted it from my computer when he borrowed it XD. So sorry if it isn't good or if there are mistakes and no we do not own either of the games just the combination chaos.


	23. Chapter Twentytwo

Chapter Twenty-Two

It had been Demyx's idea to fly back to Deningrad first, before they went to attack the Divine Dragon, and Paine who lead the pack. But, when they got over the last mountain, and peered down into the valley where the city was, it was Xion and Axel who led the way.

They, after all, had loved ones in the Crystal Palace.

Well, what was left of the Crystal Palace.

They stopped flying at the steps and ran the rest of the way. Paine was slightly impressed at the control Xion already had over the Dragoon Spirit, but she was, honestly, more concerned about the people inside.

The knights parted for Xion and the Dragoons, and she ran through the rubble and up the staircase, screaming for her sister and for Queen Theresa. Axel was just as fast as her, yelling for Roxas.

"Xion!"

The girl stopped as she passed a room, and peeked in to see another girl, a little younger than she, with red hair and a pained face. "Kairi!"

They embraced quickly and Kairi went on to say, "That boy, Roxas, he's up in the audience hall with Queen Theresa. I've been told to wait here, because something is preventing the Knights from getting to them."

Axel looked down at Xion, and they both rushed out.

"What could it be?"

Axel had a pretty good feeling about what it was, but he didn't say anything.

Demyx, after tripping for the fifth time on the same rock, called his wings of light and flew up the rest of the way, giving a thumbs-up to Axel as he flew by him. As Xion and Axel passed last hallway, Axel swore he saw someone… familiar. But, it couldn't be anyone- he didn't know anyone in Mille Seseau, especially anyone who would be in the palace. So, he shook his head and kept running.

There were knights at the entrance to the audience hall when they got there. Demyx was trying to talk his way into the room, and when Xion stepped forward and commanded the knights to get away, he sighed, "I was getting them to move…"

The three looked upon the throne and saw that it was covered in a bright light. "Roxas!" Axel cried as he ran forward. Demyx and Xion both looked at each other and shrugged.

"Never seen that before," Demyx muttered.

"It doesn't _look_ harmful…" Xion added.

And then, the other Dragoons stepped into the room. With someone else.

Axel was right in front of the light, looking into the heart of it. He took a deep breath, and reached forward, even though he couldn't see. A hand met his own and he grasped it and gently pulled. It wasn't who he was expecting- Queen Theresa stepped forward, gasping like she hadn't been breathing before.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard Xion call for the Queen, but he didn't care. Roxas was still in the center of that light, and Axel knew that whatever trance he was in, he would need coaxing to come out. So, he reached back in, and when he still didn't feel anything, took a step into the light. He could hear his Dragon screaming at him to get away- something about a _virage embryo_- and so he took his Spirit off and threw it back to where he knew the other Dragoons would be, and stepped farther into the light.

And, soon, his hands met another's, and these he could remember. Small, soft, and he could almost see the smile that would be on Roxas's lips if it were any other time. Axel called for Roxas once more, and he heard another gasp, and the light died down slowly.

The blond fell forward into Axel's arms, and Axel carried him down to the floor. "Ax-el?"

"I'm here, Roxas," Axel murmured into Roxas's hair.

"Is… the Queen… safe?"

"Yes," Axel answered. "She's fine, thanks to the light."

But Roxas let out a shaky sob. "I just want it to go away!" he whispered fiercely.

Over with Queen Theresa, Xion had her face buried in the woman's dress, and the Queen only smiled down at her. "This means you can no longer call Kairi a crybaby."

"I don't care! I don't know what I'd have done without you!" Xion cried.

Paine, Lexaeus, Xigbar, and Demyx watched both displays with various degrees of interest.

Outside the audience hall, another reunion was taking place, and those four Dragoons decided to give everyone their space.

* * *

Axel was sitting with Roxas in one of the few rooms of the palace that wasn't completely broken. The blond was laying down with his head in Axel's lap and was close to falling asleep. Axel was absently running his fingers through Roxas's hair while he thought about what happened here.

The Divine Dragon attacked the city. Then, when it attacked the Palace, Roxas's light came out and protected him, like it always did. Xion was amazed and couldn't believe it was anything besides a miracle, and when she was gushing to Roxas about how he saved the Queen, that was when he snapped and ran.

Axel finally caught up with the blond and got the teen under control. Roxas had cried that he didn't want it. "This… Light, it's making you go away and you're putting yourself in danger and I can't be with you anymore," Roxas had said.

Now, they were both calm, warm (thanks to the Red-Eyed Dragon), and Axel decided that he should probably go and check up on the others. He coaxed Roxas to follow him out of the room, and when he stepped outside, he saw the rest of the Dragoons surrounding the doorway.

Everyone, except for Zexion.

"Where to, now?" Demyx asked.

Axel looked down at Roxas, who was leaning against him under his arm. "We defeat the Divine Dragon," Axel said simply. He looked over at Xion, "You haven't been formally trained as a Dragoon, and I'd feel better if Roxas had someone to look after him."

Xion scoffed. "I made a promise. I'm going with you, as a Dragoon. This is more than just protecting my country, it's protecting my species. Roxas understands that, right?"

Axel looked down at his blond and saw him nod. "I'll be fine, Axel."

The rest of the Dragoons started to leave the hallway, and then Axel called out to Xigbar. "I'll be along in a little while. I've got to make sure Roxas has a place to stay," he said, and Xigbar nodded.

* * *

Axel found a small inn down in the city that wasn't completely destroyed, and found a room for Roxas, paid its rent for a month, and led the blond upstairs to the room. Roxas immediately fell onto the bed with a groan while Axel turned around and locked the door, afterwards setting the key on the bedside table.

Roxas pulled him down and they met each other's lips quickly and hungrily. Fingers found their way into Axel's hair and the kiss deepened. Roxas submitted to Axel's tongue as soon they met, and Axel's hands danced along the teen's sides.

They managed to pull away long enough to stare into each other's eyes, and they knew what the other wanted.

"You might not come back," Roxas whispered and leaned up to kiss Axel again.

"I'll come back," Axel growled as he kissed down Roxas's jaw and buried his nose in Roxas's neck. "I'll always come back for you," he said and started kissing down his blond's body, removing clothes as they got in the way.

Outside the door, an older man smiled as he heard the sounds the couple made. Gasping cries of "I love you" and growled responses of "Love you, too" made the man happy.

He knew they were perfect for each other. From the moment he saw them both together, back in Hellena, he knew they would end up together. He just wished he could have been there when they first admitted it to each other.

* * *

Axel quietly stepped out of the room and went down the stairs. He knew he shouldn't leave while Roxas was asleep, but he wasn't strong enough to leave while Roxas was awake. In the sitting room of the inn, the other Dragoons waited. Demyx was the first to speak.

"If you need more time with him, we all understand," he said.

Xigbar laughed and lightly punched Demyx in the shoulder. "When did you get so sensitive?"

He looked around the room and saw Zexion sitting with a wide smile on his face, one that was odd, because Zexion hardly showed any kind of emotion in public. Lexaeus was standing silently in the corner while Paine sat nursing a drink with a thoughtful look on her face.

"No," Axel said. "It's bad enough I'm leaving him at all. But if I go back up there, I'll never get away."

"He won't be alone," Zexion said.

The Dragoons all looked at him, and he smiled. "An old friend of ours came to visit, Axel. He said you'd probably kill him if he didn't step up and take care of Roxas for you."

Even Paine managed a smile.

"Xaldin found us," she said.

"Where is he?" Axel said, excited.

"Out on the town, surveying the damage with Xion," Xigbar said.

"He volunteered to stay here and help rebuild the city a bit," Zexion said. "And, while he's here, he said watching Roxas for you wouldn't be a problem at all."

Xion took that moment to walk in, without Xaldin. Her face was slightly flushed, she had a permanent smile on her lips, and her eyes were sparkling.

And Paine scoffed. "Impeccable timing," she said as she turned back to her drink.

"You got a problem?" Xion asked.

"I have a problem with your Dragoon, leaving Roxas just after he becomes strong enough to be useful," Paine said.

"Stop," Axel said. Both women looked over at him. He shook his head. "Don't bring Roxas into this. He took loosing the Dragon just as hard as you did, Paine, maybe worse." He inhaled deeply, "Besides, we have to kill the Divine Dragon, remember?"

The Dragoons all left the inn, Axel last, with one final glance back at where Roxas was (hopefully) still sleeping. He hoped he could see Xaldin before they left Deningrad, but the way Xion put it, Xaldin was already working up at the Palace. He would have to be content with just knowing that Roxas would be watched.

* * *

The climb up the mountain was rough, and this time, Lexaeus was in his element, leading the way up. He blazed a small trail for the other Dragoons to follow, and only Zexion had any real trouble with the climb. To the others, it was just long and tiring because it was steep.

Poor Zexion kept tripping. He groaned. "It's like I'm a new Dragoon all over again," he said on the ground again.

After the tenth time, Demyx came up next to him and offered to carry him up the mountain. Zexion declined, saying that the ground _will_ eventually stop with this vendetta it has against him.

An explosion up the mountainside caused the Dragoons to gasp and scurried underneath an outcrop of rock for protection. When the rock slide following the explosion passed them, they crept outside again, and looked back up the mountain.

"That's some awfully powerful mega-magic," Demyx commented.

Paine nodded. "That's a way to put it," she said, "but, really, it's unburdening its anger all over the world. Anger, toward the Winglies who sealed him."

"And," Zexion added, "us humans, who dominated Dragons."

Xion gasped. "So, it declared Deningrad as its battleground for a war we _definitely_ aren't ready for?"

Axel shook his head. "We'll settle it before any other village or city falls to the Divine Dragon."

They kept climbing, and soon found a cavern. It seemed to go farther into the mountain, and none of the Dragoons seemed to get any bad vibes from it. So, they followed the path through the cave, and settled for a rest by a pocket of rock fireflies.

For the first time in a long time, Axel was having a hard time with the dampness of the cave. It was hard to breathe, and he noticed that the other Dragoons were also having trouble with other things. Lexaeus's hair was flying through the wind, even though it wasn't that strong in the cave, and he, too, was having a hard time breathing. Zexion's hands were covered with bruises and his knees were scuffed up- tripping again? Even Demyx, who hadn't showed any signs of weakness to his opposite, was shivering, like he was freezing.

Xion and Xigbar were groaning lightly from headaches. Neither of them had any weakness to the opposites when they had their Dragoons for the first time, either.

Axel assumed that it was because those three had Dragoon Spirits that were already awakened when they got them.

Only Paine, who was carrying the Dragon Block Staff, seemed to be alright. But, she also was a Dragoon the longest. She might have gotten used to her opposite a long time ago.

After the quick rest, they all groaned as they tried to carry on. Paine sighed. "The Dragon Block Staff, it makes Dragoons weak, too," she explained. "It puts us back to when we first received the Spirit. We are no stronger in our Dragoon form as we are in our human form."

"Wait, so…?" Demyx asked.

"We have to defeat the Divine Dragon with minimal help from our Dragoon Spirits," Paine explained. "Though we are slightly stronger than we are as humans, our armor is useless when the Dragon Block Staff is around." She looked around to the others and saw their looks of disbelief. They had only ever been trained to fight using their Dragoon Spirits, and few of them knew enough hand-to-hand combat, to fight without them.

It was Xigbar who nodded first. "A warrior needs to be able to fight through anything."

Paine smiled. "Yes, and we'll be able to tap into them enough to form our weapons, but nothing more. If you must, call your Dragon for help flying. But, the armor will only hinder you."

So, they moved on slowly. None of them were ready, but Xion readied her sword, and Xigbar was on his toes, ready to fight. The others had called their weapons, and took deep breaths to try and stay calm.

Paine tapped into her Spirit and called her broadsword. Axel felt his chakrams form in his hands, and Lexaeus found that he missed having his axe in his hand. Demyx reached back and got his sitar out, and they stopped before going around the last corridor.

Zexion didn't have a weapon.

Try as he might, he begged his dragon for a weapon, but the Jade Dragon just chucked in his mind. He shrugged his shoulders at the others, and they exchanged worried glances. Zexion was built for defense.

None of them knew how this was going to turn out. They could only hope that the Jade Dragon wouldn't have to leave its current host.

The sounds of metal against scales woke them all up, and they ran around the last turn, and into a large chamber. There, a man with silver hair danced around the Divine Dragon, landing blows here and there and making the Dragon angry.

Axel snarled. "RIKU!"

Zexion was the one to put it all together the fastest. "You broke the seal on the Divine Dragon, and you can't even control it?"

Riku fell back and stood beside the Dragoons. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to help me kill this thing?"

So, the Dragoons (save Zexion) stepped forward and glanced up at it. Then, all at once, they stormed it. Zexion, from the back, tapped into his Spirit enough to send gusts of wind at the Dragon to put slices in its hide. He smirked- at least he could still control the wind a little.

It'll help.

Demyx could still fly, being a wingly, and he carried Paine up onto the dragon's back so she could stab at the weak spot on its neck. Demyx found a cannon on the dragon, and decided that the world could do without a dragon with a cannon on its back. So, he started swinging his sitar against it, hoping to do some damage.

Xigbar jumped up, kicked, punched, and landed again. He even tapped a little into his Dragoon Spirit so he could shoot at the dragon with his guns. But this thing was tougher than anything he'd ever fought. He saw Xion next to him, and he swore it was his sister for a second. They were a lot alike, Xion and Claire. The dragon's tail came around and almost swept them both off their feet, but Xigbar dove and got Xion out of the way before it hit. They both went back to the fight quickly, and Xigbar had to shake his head and clear his mind before fighting again.

Lexaeus swung his axe around at the dragon's feet, causing more damage than he supposed, soon the dragon was immobilized, and a dragon unable to stomp was a dragon with one of its attacks hindered.

Axel and Riku worked together, taking turned flipping the other into the air to attack the dragon's face. Once, Axel was bitten by the dragon and had to stop for a moment while Xion and Zexion ran over. Zexion blew the wind towards the dragon while Xion healed Axel with the White-Silver Dragon. As they both left, Riku turned to Axel and smirked. "You replaced the boy with the Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau?"

Axel growled. "Are we going to kill this thing, or not?" Riku shrugged and easily lifted the man into the air.

The battle went on. Once, the dragon tucked itself inwards, and Demyx screamed for everyone to find shelter. Just as the last Dragoon hid behind something, the Divine Dragon released its cannon. It shook the chamber and blasted boulders into pebbles. Xigbar covered Xion's head with his body until it was over. Demyx was in the air when it went off, and when it was done, Zexion and Xion ran over to where he lay on the ground to heal him. Paine and Lexaeus went back to the fight.

Axel lifted Riku up once more, and Riku stabled in the center eye. A bright light came from the dragon and filled the room. Paine almost screamed, and when it was over, Riku stood on the ground where the dragon used to be, holding a silver stone. The Dragoons gasped- the Divine Dragon's Spirit was in Riku's hands.

"The soul of the Divine Dragon," Riku said. "I shouldn't have expected it to sparkle in my hands," he said, and pocketed the stone.

"That was what you were trying to do the whole time?" Paine snarled and pointed her sword at him.

"No, just a prize. I don't need more power," Riku said. "The Divine Dragon was an obstacle to my ideal. The Dragoon Spirit is an added bonus."

Zexion stepped forward. "What 'ideal'?"

Riku smiled at him, and laughed. "The King of Serdio, did you really pursue me all this way just to get your Moon back?"

Axel rushed forward and made to hit the man with his chakram, but Riku dodged easily. "Don't be so hasty, Dragoons; I'll see you soon."

Then he left. Ran like his life depended on it (which, of course, it did) out of the chamber, followed by the Dragoons.

Axel and Paine lead the way this time, down the mountain. And, halfway down, they turned a corner, and saw Riku with the wings of light on his back, drawing a pattern in the air in front of him. Axel and Paine both gasped at the same time, "_Wingly?_"

Then, the ground underneath them fell apart, and they slipped down the mountain. Axel grabbed Paine around her middle- he knew the instant he had to grab her that she had been knocked out. When, finally, the earth stopped moving underneath him, Axel looked up. They had fallen quite a ways. He looked back down at Paine and shifted so they were a little more comfortable. He tried tapping into his Dragoon, but the Red-Eyed Dragon complained about the fight and the Staff, which Paine still carried.

He gently shook her. "Paine! Come on, wake up!"

A light groan, and she started to open her eyes.

Axel sighed. "Do you recognize me?"

Paine nodded and reached up to touch his face. "Dart… I thought you were dead…"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, Dart. We took this world from them, and I won't let them ruin it. Not the Virage… embryo. Or the Moon… with black power…"

"'Black power'? Paine? The Black Monster? What are you talking about?"

He set Paine down as her eyes slipped closed again. He didn't know how long he'd be down here for, but he couldn't stop the barrage of memories that came back when he thought about the Black Monster.

* * *

_Neet was burning. Knights, citizens, everyone was screaming. Axel held tight to his mother's hand as she ran behind his father. Once, he tripped, and then father turned around and picked him up, carrying Axel out of the town. _

_At the edge of the forest, the three refugees looked back at their village. Axel was set down next to his mother and he looked up at his father. He had a determined look, and he looked back at mother and whispered, "Take care of Axel," before running back into the village._

_He screamed for his father, and his mother held him tight while they both cried. Father was strong, he would come back, right?_

_When mother's tears were gone, she turned Axel around, kissed his forehead, and hugged him once more. "Wait here, son."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Back." She stood up, led him over to a stump and made him sit. "I'm going to protect your home, and your father." She chuckled. "He always makes such rash decisions, and I've trained since I was your age for the moment I'll have to protect my family."_

_Axel shivered as he waited for his parents to return._

_They never did. _

_When morning came, he walked through Neet. Yesterday, he knew the layout of the town, but now? With everything destroyed? He hardly knew where his house used to be. He tripped over a stray board, and in the ash in front of him, was his father's stone. He reached out and picked up the stone; it shined in his hand._

"_Father…"_

* * *

Axel shook his head. How could something that evil exist? It just destroyed an entire village! Every 108 years, the Moon That Never Sets glows red, and a Moon Child descends to the earth to give a holy blessing to the world, but what really appears is the Black Monster. Axel remembered that night. The night a week before the village was attacked. The Moon had glowed red. Everyone was ecstatic because Mille Seseau had twin princes born that night. Everyone was hoping one of them was the Moon Child.

He looked down at Paine, who was slowly starting to wake up again.

What did she know about all this?

Demyx flew down eventually and carried them both up, one at a time, and they regrouped around the rock fireflies.

Paine, when she finally came around, groaned. "No… Riku, he got away, didn't he?"

The others all nodded. She started to blame herself, but Axel stopped her. "No one knew he was a wingly, Paine. We can't have known what he was capable of."

"Besides," Zexion commented, "his objectives are still the Divine Moon Objects."

The Dragoons all turned to Xion and Xigbar was the one to speak. "Alright, poppet, no need to hide it now. Mille Seseau's Moon Object; what is it?"

Xion sighed and tapped at the ground with her shoe. She bit her lip and Lexaeus spoke up, "Don't hesitate. It's not like you."

Xion shook her head. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone," she whispered.

Demyx came and sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "I wasn't supposed to tell about the Dragon Block Staff, but I did, because we wouldn't have been able to defeat the Divine Dragon without it. We can't protect the Moon Object if we don't know about it," he said.

She looked at the other Dragoons and gave them all a small smile. At least, they knew what she was thinking. "The Divine Moon Objects- it's said that they were gifts, brought by Winglies. And, it's said that they have a dreadful magic power concealed within. That's why they were kept secret, a national treasure to each of the three countries of Endiness. Ours is the Moon Mirror."

She then looked up at the other Dragoons and they all had the same look on their faces. Dread. Then, Zexion stepped up and said, "Queen Theresa might very well be in danger. Riku will stop at nothing to get the Moon Mirror."

Xion ran. Sprinted down the mountain, burning with the need to protect the only mother that ever cared for her.

* * *

The Knights waiting at the entrance to the Palace in Deningrad ushered them into a sitting room that had been rebuilt in the weeks they had been gone. Xion immediately went up to the man standing next to the window and slapped him.

"You promised me you'd protect them!" she screamed.

Axel watched as another redhead scurried past the Dragoons and protected Xaldin from another attack. This girl looked much like Xion, but the subtle differences were enough to justify them not being related by blood. Her arms were outstretched and she said in a calm voice, "It wasn't Sir Xaldin's fault. _I_ brought the man here, the one who took Queen Theresa. Sir Xaldin had retired to the inn, to look after the boy there. It's my fault."

Xion still glared at Xaldin, but Xaldin stared out the window. "Kairi, what happened?"

She put her arms down, led her sister to the couch, and the Dragoons gathered around and listened to her story.

After the Divine Dragon's howls had stopped, Kairi had gone out with a group of guards. But, when in the Evergreen Forest, they were attacked by a Wingly. "He went by the name of Bardel," Kairi said, and Demyx gasped.

"He's from my village…"

Kairi continued, saying that the wingly was about to attack her, but a kind man protected her and killed the wingly. In return, Kairi brought him back to the Palace to be treated for some injuries he had before the fight with Bardel. But, when the man had been healed, and presented to Queen Theresa, the Queen had called him out on having less-than-pure intentions in saving Sister Kairi, and then he demanded the Moon Mirror.

Paine stared at Sister Kairi as she spoke her tale, and the other Dragoons all knew who that man was. "Riku…" The name was spoken softly, at the same time, a shared secret between the Dragoons.

Xion stood up. "We need to go. The Moon Mirror is not safe. Queen Theresa is not able to protect herself from Riku."

The Dragoons made to leave, and Xaldin came up to Axel and stopped his friend. "I won't let anything happen to Roxas, but you should go see him before you leave," Xaldin said.

Axel shook his head. "If I stop to see him, we risk not getting to the Moon Mirror in time."

Xaldin smiled at him. "By the way, I'm proud of you. Roxas told me about how you two got together," he said. Axel felt his cheeks heat up a little, and he mumbled about people knowing before he did. "It was obvious, Axel. You two were so in love when I first met you, and now you two have each other."

"I just hope, when this is all over, that we can settle down somewhere, quietly," Axel sighed.

"I hope it's over soon, for your sake," Xaldin said.

* * *

In her mind, Xion went over what Kairi said. Queen Theresa was abducted, the Moon Mirror was in jeopardy of being taken, and there was a good chance that soon, Kairi could be the only one left to rule Mille Seseau. How could she have let this happen to her country?

Before the Dragoons left the Crystal Palace, Kairi had left Xaldin's side for a moment while she ran to Xion. She hugged her sister one more time, and had whispered, "He said he wanted to create a utopia. That he needed the Moon Objects to do it." She pulled back and, with tears shining in her eyes, said, "How could someone who saved me, protected me, be all that bad? He could have easily just come to the Palace and skipped right to abducting Queen Theresa, but he saved me _first_. Just, remember that, Xion, when you fight him again. He _can't_ be all bad. There _is_ some good in him."

Xion growled. As far as she saw it, Riku was just using Kairi to give himself a better image. That man needed to be stopped, before anyone else ended up hurt. He released the Divine Dragon from a sleep that it should have never woken up from, set it loose on her country, and then turns around and saves her sister? No. Riku _had_ to have some other motive to kill that Wingly, and it had nothing to do with saving Kairi, even if that was how her sister saw it.

She looked around her at the other Dragoons. Again, they had to hike through some rough terrain to get to where they were going, but it would be worth it. Finally, the Kashua Glacier was in sight, and just beyond it, the Tower of Flanvel. That was where the Moon Mirror was kept, and where Xion knew Riku and Queen Theresa had gone.

* * *

Disclaimer: Do we really still have to do these? Sure, why not. Consider this diclaimed. The characters aren't ours, the story isn't ours. But, the idea to mash them together was!

Cy: Yeah, I'm kind of awesome. I got this done, like, super fast.


	24. Chapter TwentyThree

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lead by Xion, the Dragoons moved deep within the western forests. With every step Axel could feel the temperature decreasing ever so slowly as if all the heat in the world was being drained. According to Xion, the last divine moon object was located far to the west on the edge of the country and civilization.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Axel muttered looking at Paine. This evening, they were guarding the camp site.

"What feeling?" Paine asked with no emotions.

"I don't know how to describe it," Axel said folding his arms and looking down at the fire. "It's not fear, and not a uneasy state." He glanced at her. The shadows prevented him from seeing her clearly. "It's the like the Dragoon is angry, restless."

"I have the same feeling," Paine said her eyes flickering to him. "Something sleeps in this direction."

"Could it be another Virage?" Paine did not answer. She knew what it was they were all sensing however she had not sensed that being for almost eleven thousand years. Why could his energy be sensed even after all this time? Was it because his tower was shot down so near from where they were? She like the others never did find out if he was killed or not. She let out a slow breath and looked at Axel. If only he knew what could await them...

* * *

The next morning was hardly a good one. The sky was dark and the clouds were transforming from gray to black. Snow was slowly drifting down from the sky. The conditions were not helped by the fact the trees were beginning to thin and, by noon, the Dragoons were facing a massive glacier.

Xion stopped and looked for the path which normally allowed people to climb to the top. "That's a large block of ice," Demyx said, looking to the top. "Do we have to climb it?" He looked down at Xion who was walking forward .

"No, the path is open," she said pointing to a hole before the glacier. "One of them at least," she said stopping near the hole. "I used to come here a lot to clear my head and think," she continued, looking at Axel, "so I know all the paths."

"Do you know how to get to the Moons Mirror?" She nodded and glanced at the hole.

"It's in the tower under the ice." Paine looked up and her heart stopped for a brief moment. _A tower under the ice?_ Xion stepped back and looked at the others. "Only one way down there." She jumped forward sliding down the ice. Demyx ran forward and dived in head first with a cry of joy. The others looked at each other and followed.

Xion was waiting for them at the bottom. "Where's Demyx?" Axel asked looking around but the only one with him and Xion was Lexaeus. Axel called out but was silenced by Xion.

"There were other paths that branched off from this one. They're probably below."

* * *

Demyx looked down at the bottom of the large chamber. "That's a long way down," he said, looking at Xigbar and Zexion.

"We better start down now and find the others," Zexion reminded them as he walked forward. He could sense Riku's presence. They were close, it was time that he made Riku pay for all the problems that he had caused.

* * *

Paine focused on the tower before here. She closed her eyes.

_The thunder rolled over head and the lightning flashed swiftly followed by the powerful lights of the fortress in the sky. She looked up to see it approaching, hovering evilly over the land. "Kongol! Reload!" she yelled to the earth dragoon. The dragoon heaved a massive arrow into place then helped her move the ballista into place. She glanced down the line up at the tower. "Ready?" Kongol nodded, and they grabbed the chains and flew back hard loading it. "Fire!" Kongol flew forward and pulled the large switch. _

_ The air cracked with the sound of the arrow shooting through the air. Several other ballista fired as well. The tower began to lean and the top collapsed. "One more!" Kongol yelled, loading another arrow on. She grabbed the chain and pulled back with all her might and released at the lever. Even with several direct hits the tower was still approaching. Someone flew over to them._

_ "We need to get up there and finish it!" he yelled. Kongol nodded and followed with her. The lightening split the sky and the saw the white armored forces bailing out and gliding towards them. _

_ "We'll take care of these ones!" the Sea Dragoon yelled to her and Dart. "Go for the master!" Dart turned, nodded and they raced to the top of the tower. There was no one there but the devices were still working and operating. _

_ "What is all this?" she asked looking to Dart. _

_ "Nothing good," Dart muttered while walking forward and looking around. He turned his head and drew his sword. She summoned hers and they both looked at the doorway only to be greeted by a Winglie who had been impaled by a large part of something. He stretched his arm out and then fell forward before them. Dart relaxed and they walked through the hallway and soon came to a large circular domed room. Four devices stood reaching to the ceiling sending electrical energy through each other. _

_ They sparked and launched an attack at the two of them. Dart split from her and they flew upwards, dodging the energy burst. Down in the center of the room, was the master. She looked down to see who exactly the commander and master of Flanvel tower was. _

_ He grinned evilly, his long white robes stained with blood, his wings outstretched and his long blond hair twisting around him as he commanded the attacks. _

* * *

She opened her eyes and cursed at the tower. "You're dead," she whispered, "you died when this tower fell." She turned to see Axel and all the others approaching her.

"There you are," Axel said stopping in front of her. "We were looking for you." Paine said nothing and looked to the tower.

"What is that?" Zexion asked in amazement.

"Flanvel tower." Everyone looked to Paine. "The Winglies built cities that could fly through the air but they also built massive war structures like this. Flanvel being the most powerful."

"Looks like it took a beating," Xigbar added.

"The humans used very powerful machines of their own to shoot at the tower." She turned to the others. "The Moon Mirror is up there?"

"All the way at the top," Xion told her, pointing to the top of Flanvel. Something caught on the air and they all turned looking in different directions.

"What was that?" The sound hit the air again but this time louder than ever. Axel turned and jumped away as something hit the ice bridge. Paine and Xigbar grabbed Axel and pulled him back away from the creature.

"Does anyone know what that creature is?" Demyx yelled running away only to be stopped by another.

The creature was double Lexaeus's height and width. One arm was long and skinny covered in spikes and the second was longer, thicker with four long, jagged fingers. Its head sat lower on its head then it should, five red eyes gleaming at them. Their long tails swished across the ice showing the poisoned filled thorns. They screeched again in unison and Paine summoned her sword. _It was impossible that they be here. Like its master, they were destroyed long ago._ Their chests moved allowing them to see that they could move each rib independently.

"They're called Windigos," Paine said looking around swiftly. The one who was advancing on Demyx was missing an arm. "That's the same one as…" She pushed past the other, transformed and drove her sword hard into it. The creature roared, grabbed her around the middle and hurled her back. She crashed through an ice bridge and looked up, the past flashing before her. She dodged the third and whipped down her sword sending a powerful blade of dark energy down. The creature screeched but nothing was down to it. "The only way to kill them is to go for the hearts!" Paine yelled. She dodged around one and was hit by another. Why were there so many?

Paine stood up and found herself face to face with the one missing its arm. Its ribs cracked as it flexed them. It had recognized her. She flew back dodging its hand but was hit by a ghostly attack by its severed limb. She recovered and hurled her sword forward hitting it in the weak flesh under the ribs. Summoning the dark energy, she began to drain the life out of the creature.

Axel dived behind her stopping another one from attacking. She turned and nodded at him before focusing her attention back on the one she was fighting. The creature screeched again and broke the spell, grabbed the sword and hurled it back at her. These things were impossible to kill in the past, and at this point, Paine didn't think that they would die at all. She retrieved her sword and had to fly off to get away from the leader. She stopped and turned around, there was only one way. She dismissed her sword and raised her hand in the air.

The battle grew darker and darker. A new sound echoed through the icy caverns. The beast opened its eyes and roared. The Windigos stopped and turned. The leaders screeched and soon they were all gone. Paine let the darkness die and dropped to the ground dismissing her Dragoon.

"Those things are really frightening," Zexion said when they were all together again.

"You don't even know the half of it," Paine muttered as she lead the way.

* * *

_The Winglie let out several high pitched cold laughs as the towers let out bolts of energy at her and Dart. She deflected one with her sword but had to dodge swiftly as another almost hit her on the left. "You humans are so funny, wrapping yourselves up tin foil and trying to use magic and technology against us! We are the Superior race!" He moved his hand so that the attacks came from the wall as well. _

_ Dart managed to break through the barrier, drew back his sword and attacked. A massive creature appeared out of nowhere and threw its arm out. Dart's blade severed through it but the Winglie remained unharmed. It used its other arm and snatched Dart from the sky. "How do you like my creation, human?" he said with a huge grin. "I call them Windigos." She dodged a similar creature and looked down. She would not let him get to Dart._

"Paine?" Paine turned to Axel then looked around. She had spaced out for most of the time they were walking but now they were in one of the large rooms. "What is all this?" Axel asked pushing several old buttons.

"I'm not sure," she lied looking around. She knew what this was, it was a control room. One of the many places in Flanvel tower that the Winglies controlled the attacks that they used on the world below. She glanced at the rest of the group and then moved to one of the teleporters. "We should continue remember Riku is at the top with the Queen."

Paine looked up as the light faded and her heart raced. The four pillars still stood. She looked around keeping her emotions from reaching her face but nothing here was destroyed in fact everything looked better than it did before. This worried her.

"The Mirror chamber is up there," Xion said pointing.

"Then let's get him!" Paine grabbed Demyx by the back of his shirt.

"Not so fast," she said looking to Axel. "Riku controls the Dragon buster, or did you forget?" Silence. "We will not be able to use our Dragoons."

"Then how do we beat him?" Demyx asked looking at Paine.

"Easy," Xigbar said stretching out his hand and letting the currents jump between his fingers. Xion looked a little worried and confused.

"Exactly," Paine said looking at Demyx and the others. "Riku will be fast with that Dragoon and the Dragon Buster should not be too dangerous in human form." Axel stepped forward and looked up.

"It's time he paid for what he did."

* * *

Riku snatched the mirror from the Queen's hands and examined it closely. There was no doubt that this was the object he was seeking. He controlled all three Divine Moon Objects, the spirit of the Divine Dragon and the Dragon Buster. No one could stand in his way to creating his utopia.

The teleporter charged and the seven Dragoons stepped out. Xion rushed forward and Riku jumped back. He glanced at the Queen and then Zexion and snickered. "It's good to see you, Your Majesty." He landed neatly on the ground and leaned on the Dragon Buster. "Still angry at me for manipulating your war?"

"More then you know," Zexion said stepping forward and throwing out his arm. "It's time that you pay for all the deaths that you caused."

"Really now? Do you honestly think you can stop me?" He spread his arms and wings. "Then try." Before they could move Riku flew in the air, drew back his hands and let out a devastating burst of energy. Paine pushed forward and threw both her arms out wide. Her shadow shot forward, countering the attack leaving them all unharmed.

He dived down at them causing everyone to scatter in different direction. Axel rolled and looked up. This was not going to work at all. They needed their Dragons to match Riku's speed and power. He closed his eyes and thought of the dragon blocking staff. It had only worked when they activated its power. If Riku activated the full power of the Dragon Buster when he was in Dragoon form, it would drain him as well.

Axel tapped into his dragoon, and tackled Riku right into a wall, shattering it. He flew back and saw that Paine and the others had caught on. "We need to work in pairs."

"We'll go," Demyx said looking at Zexion.

"Same here." Lexaeus said, guarding Xion.

"Us three will attack then," Paine said looking at Xigbar and Axel. "The rest will be support." She paused. "Do not hit those pillars," she added, pointing. "The whole tower will collapse." They nodded and split as Riku shot at them. He turned to see them all surrounded him.

"This is entertaining." He drew back the Dragon Buster and charged at Zexion and Demyx. However, Demyx summoned his Dragoon power and caused ice spears to break into the dome, trapping Riku. Axel charged up his Final Burst while Zexion helped the flames grow. Riku broke free and was quickly diverted by Lexaeus's tomahawk, and then Xion and her two blades.

Axel hit from behind, Paine hit immediately after and they both moved out of the way as Xigbar let out a powerful burst of purple electricity. They all backed off to see the damage, but when the smoke cleared Riku flapped his wings, tossed the hair from his face, and smiled. "Is that all you've got?"

He charged forward and the Dragoons scattered. The Dragon Buster sliced through one of the pillars and Paine's heart stopped for a brief moment remembering what had happened the last time one was ripped through like that.

* * *

_Dart freed himself from the creature's grip and flew back. The flames around him were protecting him from the energy attacks. He drew back his sword and charged, the Windigo jumped out of the way and the Winglie dodged as well flying up in a yell as Dart sliced through one of the pillars. _

_ The charges around unbalanced and each pillar blew up. Dart pulled away and grabbed her arm. They turned to see the master of the tower in front of them. "I'm not going down alone!" His spell shattered Dart's sword and caused them to move away. She looked around to see that the tower was beginning to fall rapidly down and the explosions becoming larger. _

* * *

Paine flew forward and pulled Demyx and Zexion away from the pillar. Lexaeus dived down and caught it before it landed on the Queen. Riku laughed and took down another pillar, caught it, and then hurled it towards Lexaeus. Xion shot forward, summoned light into her blades and sliced through the pillar. Riku tried to attack her but Axel and Xigbar were there in a heartbeat protecting her.

No matter what spells or attacks they did it seemed to have no effect on Riku at all. "What do we do now?" Xion asked Axel. "Nothing is working."

"Then go for the only weak point we have," Paine said looking at Riku. "The wings." She shot forward, dodged past the blade, and sliced through one of Riku's wings. He tried to reach back as his height in the air dropped. Axel attacked followed by Xion, Xigbar and Demyx.

Soon Riku had to land and now they attacked from above while Xion, Lexaeus and Demyx attacked from the ground. On and on they attacked quickly draining their power and slowly draining Riku. Finally, Riku threw out his hands knocking them all back. "That's it." He raised the Dragon Buster and activated its powers. Only Riku was not forced back into human form.

Axel looked up clutching his chest. Riku stopped a few feet in front of him. "I'll make sure you never get in my way again." He drew back the sword and charged. Axel braced for the hit but all he felt was a splash of something warm.

He looked up and his mouth dropped open. Xaldin had taken one of Xion's swords and drove it through Riku's shoulder with one hand and grabbed the Dragon Buster with his other. There was a look of terror in Riku's face as Xaldin overpowered him and took the Dragon Buster and held it up at Riku while the other Dragoons moved in. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" He asked calmly.

"Xaldin!" Axel said finally. "Wait… Where's Roxas?" Xaldin did not look at him but focused on Riku.

"That's why I'm here," He glanced at Axel. "I'm sorry but another one came and took Roxas away, none of us could defeat his magic." He turned back to Riku. "And that's why I'm here because that bastard mentioned this one." Riku looked around and then at Xaldin.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Everyone thought I was dead, until I got up and walked away," he said tightening the grip on the Dragon Buster. Xigbar helped Axel up and they now had Riku trapped. "Now start talking," he said stepping forward.

"Diaz has him," Riku said keeping his eyes on the Dragon Buster. "In the old human capital of Vellweb." He looked up at Axel. "That's where he'll be."

"Then that's where we're going," Paine said looking at Axel. "You should finish him," she added looking at Xaldin.

"Diaz will not hand him over if I don't come with the Divine Moon Objects," Riku interjected.

"Then we'll take them off of you," Axel said angrily. "We don't have time for him." They looked at Xaldin who remained motionless.

"Waste of time." He said lowering the Dragon Buster and walking away. "That's all he is, and we need to go get Roxas." Axel nodded and looked at the rest of the group. Riku went to move away but Xaldin was faster. He drew the blade up and stopped it an inch from Riku's neck. "And where do you think you're going?" He asked coldly. "You're coming with us."

"It's good to have you back, Xaldin," Paine said, patting his shoulder and walking away.

"How did you find us?" Xigbar asked as Xaldin handed Xion back her sword and then picked up his staff.

"The guards," he said motioning to the seven men surrounding the Queen. "There are about thirty more downstairs, but they knew where to go." Xaldin turned away from Xigbar and the others and walked to Axel. "I'm so sorry," he said but Axel shook his head and smiled sadly.

"It's not your fault." He looked towards the teleporter. "He probably knew we would defeat Riku, and took Roxas to get the Divine Moon Objects."

"We can't just turn them over. We don't even know what they do yet."

"That's the problem," Axel said folding his arms. "Riku keeps saying they are used for creating a utopia but never explaining what they do or what will happen."

"I fear that what will happen will deadly," Xaldin whispered. Axel nodded and put his hand on Xaldin's shoulder.

"It's good to have you back."

"I'll be here until we get Roxas back. I promise." Axel nodded and looked to the rest of the group.

Paine looked at the two pillars on the ground. Something seemed odd and not right. "Xion, I think it's time you tell the guards to get the Queen away from this place, remember there are Windigos." Xion looked at Paine and then took off. "Something isn't right." She could hear his laughing in her head but when she looked up soon found out it was not in her head. Axel and Xaldin turned looking to the center of the room.

A male Winglie appeared, dressed all in white with black symbols his head was lowered in an evil grin. "Welcome, welcome one and all." He laughed looking at them all. "To the Tower of Hell." Paine summoned her sword and the figure turned to her. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Who the hell is that?" Axel yelled to Paine.

"A problem, a real problem."

"Dragoons? Not the ones that I remember." He laughed again and waved his hand so the pillars repaired themselves. "Welcome to my tower!" He raised his hands so the energy pulsed through the four pillars.

"Paine!" Axel yelled running to her. "What is this?"

"We need to leave now!" Paine yelled pushing him away. One of the energy pulses hit Xion and she collapsed unable to move. Xaldin looked back, skidded on the ice and retrieved her before deflecting another pulse with the Dragon Buster. Pain stopped at the teleporter and hurled a dark ball of energy but it passed through him. "It's his shadow?" there was no time to say anything else. She jumped on the platform and they were all teleported out of the room.

Xaldin looked back at the massive dome to see that everything was quiet. Xion began to regain her movement but he kept a firm grip on her. "What the hell just happened?" Demyx asked through deep breaths.

"That was Vexen," Riku said looking at the group. "He was one of the greatest Winglies that lived during the Dragon Campaign. He was known for his extreme intelligence with technology and then infusing it with powerful magic." He straightened up and let out a slow breath. "But he died eleven thousand years ago when the tower was destroyed by the humans."

"That was merely his shadow," Paine said letting her sword disappear. "His best ability was creating clones of himself; that way, he was never in harm's way. It appears that one of the clones is tied to the magic of the tower."

"Well, let's get away from here before his clone decides to come after us again," Demyx said and started walking away.

* * *

They all managed to get out of the glacier with no problems. The Queen and her men left for the city while Riku took them deeper into the heart of the frozen land.

"I can walk," Xion said from Xaldin's back.

"Not in this you won't," he said trying, like the other guys, to walk through waist-high snow drifts.

"This is getting bad," Axel said putting his arm up to protect his face from the subzero wind. "We need to get out of this before it gets any worse." Paine nodded and looked around, but they were in the middle of nowhere and she could hardly see a few feet in front of her.

"There," Riku said pointing to a large drift. As they approached they saw that it was a cave. The group made their way into the cave. Xaldin knelt down allowing Xion to slide off his back before he sat down next to her. It only took a few minutes for Axel to create a flame to keep them warm.

"Hey Xaldin? What's wrong with your shoulder?" Demyx asked. "I don't think supposed to look like that."

"It's out of place," Xion gasped turning to him. "I'll help." Axel looked up to see Xion helping fix Xaldin's shoulder, Demyx watching; Xigbar and Zexion talking, Lexaeus being his silent self. Paine was also silent. Riku had not said anything since he spotted the cave and was sitting at the entrance with a sword on his knee.

"If he moves, I will kill him," Xaldin growled.

"Not until we get your shoulder back in place," Xion chided gently, rotating his arm. Her eyes met Xaldin's briefly, and then she looked back at what she was doing quickly after her face started to heat up a bit.

"Do you still have the Dragon Buster?" Paine asked and Xaldin raised the sword with his free arm. "Keep it safe," Paine said looking away. Xaldin nodded and relaxed his arm.

Axel sighed and glanced at the entrance of the cave. Why was Roxas captured? What did everyone want with him?

Most importantly, though, why could he never be there to save him?

* * *

Veroxen: I apologies for the long wait. I got really sick really easily the last few months due to the fact my ecology lab was always outside and it always seemed to rain and snow on us. Then my computer died on me….Again…for the second time in less than eight months. This was not the original chapter that I had, I could not locate the original one that I wrote because all my files are out of order on a dvd pulled from my other computer. Anyways, added Vexen in, not sure if he will ever appear again in this story but I might do a side one just about him. Any mistakes in spelling or grammar let me know. Again sorry for the obnoxiously long wait XD.

PS we don't own KH or LOD.


	25. Chapter TwentyFour

Chapter Twenty-Four

Riku pushed the hair out of his eyes and cleared his throat. "Hey, Dragoons?" All of the heads in the room turned to him and he continued. "I feel you should know, before you go to see Emperor Diaz, what we are trying to achieve. "

The Dragoons looked around at each other and many shrugged. Axel spoke up, "Well, with the blizzard outside, it's not like we can effectively move forward anyway."

Xion nodded. "So, then? Speak up."

Riku leaned his arm on his knee as he was sitting and spoke more to the floor. "Diaz said that the world was rotten, like it was when Xemnas, the Wingly dictator, ruled it. He said that we needed to regenerate the world, or we could ultimately destroy it." Riku took a breath and saw that the Dragoons were listening to him, like they were actually interested in what he was saying.

He continued. "Diaz told me, that Winglies are only the 107th species. Soa, the creator, had willed that there be 108, and that last species would regenerate the world and lead us to utopia. That, when the Moon That Never Sets glares red, the Moon Child descends to the earth and gives a holy blessing to the world. The Moon Child is the last species, and the god that gives holy bliss to the world!"

But Paine stopped his momentum. "That's not true," she said, and everyone in the room finally noticed that she looked afraid, or at least as afraid as anyone had ever seen her.

"It is the truth!" Riku said. "Why does the Black Monster continue to kill the Moon Child if it's not?"

Paine shrunk back against the cave wall and Axel stared hard at her. _She always gets like this whenever the Black Monster is mentioned…_

"It doesn't want to be scorched to death that the blessed light brought by the last species," Riku said.

"Riku?" Zexion asked, "What is the relationship between the Divine Moon Objects and the birth of the Moon Child?"

"The old Winglies feared their status as the supreme species would end, and they sealed up the 108th. The keys to dissolving the signet are the gem, dagger, and mirror," Riku explained.

"So, basically, you were going to release the Moon Child, or this 'god,' by using the Divine Moon Objects," Demyx concluded.

Riku nodded. "If I don't, someone else will. No one can escape fate determined by Soa."

It was silent in the cave for a moment before Axel seethed. "If Utopia is what you're after, why Roxas?" He stood up and stepped over to Riku- no one stopped him. He picked Riku up by the front of his shirt and yelled, "What is Roxas to you?"

But Riku remained calm. "Diaz will tell you everything, when we get to Vellweb."

Axel dropped Riku and walked away, out towards the entrance to the cave. Xaldin rested his hand quickly on Xion's shoulder before going after him to calm him down.

In the morning, the blizzard was over and they started again.

* * *

Paine looked up at the ruins of the once great human city, Vellweb. The other Dragoons, Riku, and Xaldin, were walking past her slowly, and all she could remember was the one time she had eavesdropped on the most heartbreaking conversation of her life.

"_I hear you two are planning on a wedding after this battle," Diaz said, and she could hear a sad smile in his voice. "You know that there is no guarantee of either of you coming back alive, right?"_

_But, the voice responding was_ _happy and strong; a voice that she had fallen in love with. "Even if one of us dies, our bonds of affection are forever," Dart said, and she knew that he was looking at…_

"_Oh, Dart! You always know exactly what to say," the girl beside him said, and as she listened, she felt her chest tightening._

"_Shana, I mean it!" And the smile in his voice was there, and she knew that she should be happy for them, for Dart, for finding happiness even if it wasn't with her, but she couldn't do it._

_Diaz chuckled. "Perhaps, it will all work out! And, when you both come home, I would be honored to perform the ceremony, if you'd let me?"_

"_Of course!"_

_She fled the doorway, not even remembering why she had wanted to see Diaz in the first place._

Paine looked up at the seven towers, which had housed the Dragoons during the first Dragon Campaign, and around the base of the circle, where the humans that fought in the war lived with their families when they weren't out fighting. It was all snow-covered and broken down, but what more could she have expected?

_Eleven thousand years, and I've never come back here. _

"Paine!"

She looked around to see Axel and the rest of her group stopped and waiting for her to catch up. When she finally did, they started moving again as one. Paine stayed in the back of the group, and Demyx dropped back and asked her, "What were you thinking about?"

Paine looked over at Demyx and realized something- he was, probably, as ancient as she was. There was a chance. Afterall, Winglies didn't age nearly as fast as humans. He could have easily been born just as the war was ending, or maybe he was already alive and being trained when his parents went into hiding. "Just, reminiscing," she said.

"You've been here before?" Demyx tilted his head to the side as he asked.

"A long time ago… my family lived here," she whispered.

Demyx nodded and suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Whatever for?" she said, getting close to pulling the knife out of her pocket and stabbing him for being too close.

"Because my kind enslaved your kind. And, for your family; I'm sorry that they're not here anymore," Demyx said. He pulled off of her and smiled a little. "But, everyone dies, and sometimes fate calls you to death a little too soon for everyone else's tastes. And sometimes, we evade death for far too long that it becomes something we yearn for, huh?" he gave her a knowing look, one that Paine really didn't like, and suddenly she appreciated that he had slowed her down enough that the rest of the group couldn't hear what he was saying.

Then, he turned and ran up to Zexion and jumped on the King's back, causing the rest of the group to laugh as Zexion chased after Demyx, screaming for him to hold still long enough that he could slit his throat. Paine smiled and kept walking while the rest of the group doubled over, laughing.

"Thanks, Demyx."

* * *

The maze that was Vellweb's inner fortress was confusing, at least. But, when it became apparent that none of the other Dragoons knew where they were going, Riku made to lead them all, but it was Paine that groaned and said, "Follow me," and took the lead position. Riku and Xion both were a little confused, but the others all just shrugged and followed.

Paine always just seemed to _know_ these things. Like, how to maneuver through a fortress that had been unoccupied for the last eleven thousand years. Xigbar met Zexion's eyes every now and then, just enough to see that they both were questioning the how and why Paine knew what she did. Demyx stood nearby Axel, right behind Paine, and looked between them. He knew that humans had a limited life span, and that no one could live in Gloriano because it was a snowy wasteland; there was no way that Paine's family could have lived here in her lifetime. And Axel… well, his mind was obviously on one thing, and even Demyx's usually infectiously happy mood wasn't enough to make Axel smile.

She stopped the group before a large doorway, and Riku made his way forward. "This is it," he said, and pushed the door open.

The first thing everyone saw was the large man sitting on the throne in the center of the room, his face covered by his hood. He was dressed in red robes and sat on the seat straight and tall- the posture of someone royal.

The second thing was Roxas, sitting on the ground beside the chair. His hair was dirty and his wrists were bound together, and he didn't look up when the Dragoons entered the room.

He did, finally, when Axel called for him. "Roxas!" Axel ran the last few steps to the bottom of the stairs before the throne, quickly followed by Paine and Riku- everyone else stayed a little ways back.

"Axel!" Roxas made to stand up by himself, but was then pulled up and held tight by the man beside him. Axel stopped instantly, and watched as a knife was pressed to Roxas's throat and the man holding him smiled cruelly.

Paine's hand on his shoulder kept Axel from transforming immediately, and instead, he tensed. The rest of the Dragoons followed and stood behind Axel and Paine. Riku stepped forward and held out the Divine Moon Objects. "I've got them all, Emperor Diaz. Gem, Dagger, Mirror. There are no more obstacles to hinder our utopia. Please, release the boy," he said.

"Bring them here," Diaz said, and Riku walked the Objects up the steps to the throne. He inspected the three pieces, and then threw Roxas at Riku. Then, he turned away and sat back down. Riku cut Roxas's bonds, and then let him run. Roxas ran all the way down the steps and jumped into Axel's waiting arms. The Dragoons all smiled and welcomed Roxas back, save Zexion and Paine.

"What do you plan on doing with the Divine Moon Objects?" Zexion asked.

His voice was smooth and authoritative. "Didn't you hear it from Riku? My only desire is the advent of the last species!"

Riku smiled beside him. And Paine growled. "If you are the true Diaz, you should know what that implies, right?"

The room was silent for just a second, before Diaz held up all three Divine Moon Objects and chuckled. "Total destruction."

And Riku's smile faltered. "_What?"_

"Riku! Now we can let the Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction, the last species we desire, arise. We can create our utopia, after the Virage Embryo purges the world."

Riku stepped backwards, down the steps, and shook his head. "You deceived me. My utopia exists in the future of this world! What I desire is a calm future, not a destroyed one!"

Demyx took two steps forward before Xigbar and Lexaeus both stopped him. They looked up at the throne, where Diaz was standing up and his hand was glowing bright red. "If you don't see eye to eye with me, then you are no use to me." Riku glowed the same color, bright red, and started to hover above the steps, and then was thrown through the floor, down to the earth a long ways.

"Riku!" Demyx screamed, and pushed past everyone to stare down the hole in the room. Xion knelt beside him and glared at Diaz.

"What kind of monster are you?" she said.

He smirked. "I don't need to hide anymore," he said, and looked at Paine, and then at Axel. "It has been awhile, Rose. Axel." And then, he pushed back his hood, and everyone saw the hair- not quite as red as Axel's, but just as spiky, and there was no mistaking the general structure of the man's face.

Axel turned his head to the side and took a tentative step forward, while Paine gasped and stepped backwards. _"Dad?"_ Axel whispered.

But it was Paine's reaction that made everyone's head turn. "Dart! It cannot be! You died, with Xemnas! I watched it happen, _I watched you die!_" She screeched and pointed at the man.

"Paine, what are you talking about?" Xigbar asked.

She stopped and looked around, and saw her fellow Dragoons, Roxas, and Xaldin, all staring at her, and she just sighed. "I…"

"Rose, you never told them?" the man, Dart, said from his spot at the throne.

She looked back at the man, but Dart just laughed. "Then, I guess I can tell them, then?"

"I saw you both turn to stone, as the city fell around us," Paine said, her voice slowly starting to shake. Xion moved from her place beside Demyx and put a hand on Paine's shoulder, and Zexion and Xigbar both exchanged looks of confusion. "I watched as the Dragon Campaign came to a close with Xemnas's life ending, and I remember like it was yesterday how you told me to get away."

Roxas and Axel both tightened their grip on each other, while Lexaeus and Xaldin both tightened their fists, ready for a fight.

Dart smiled cruelly and spoke. "Yes, I was hit by Xemnas's petrification spell, and I waited 11,000 years for it to dissolve. And when I was released, I lived as the father of Axel in this age, knowing that my days with you, Rose, were long gone." Then he turned and faced Roxas briefly while he said, "Until that tragic day in Neet."

Axel pulled Roxas against his side and asked, "Wait a minute. So, Paine, you and my Dad are both heroes of the Dragon Campaign?"

Both of them nodded.

Paine looked up at Dart and shook her head. "You refer to the attack of the Black Monster on Neet. But, if you really know what it's doing, then you understand that you can not achieve what you want for another ninety years or so," she said.

All the Dragoons looked on while Dart laughed manically. "I do love how you refer to the Black Monster as a separate being, Rose," he said, and Axel stepped backwards a little and watched Paine turn more pale than she usually was. "But, Axel remembers, don't you? You remember the day it happened?"

Axel nodded, but wouldn't stop staring at Paine. What was going on?

"And, Rose, I'm here to tell you, that after 11,000 years of killing the Moon Children and its Servants, you messed up."

That got her head to snap up and she felt the anger of her Dragon pump through her veins. _"What?"_

All the Dragoons were pushed back against the wall of the chamber, all except for Rose, Axel, and Roxas, who watched as the rest of their companions were held in a sphere of magic, unable to do anything but listen to Dart rant.

"Eighteen years ago, the Moon That Never Sets, or as I'd like to refer to it, the Flesh of the God of Destruction, glowed red. That day, the Moon Child was born, and that night, Rose, you became the Black Monster and killed everyone in Neet, because everyone who lays eyes on the infant Moon Child becomes a Servant of the God of Destruction and must die as well, don't they?"

Axel pulled Roxas behind him and backed farther away from Paine. "You? You're the Black Monster?"

Paine answered simply, "The Moon Child has to be killed. I stopped my own time 11,000 years ago and have been doing this just as long."

"Why would you kill the Moon Child?" Xion yelled from the sphere holding them. "It's supposed to give a holy blessing!"

Dart answered for Paine, "Because, the Moon Child gives the blessing of Destruction! In the Dragon Campaign, the humans destroyed the Crystal Sphere, which the Winglies used to contain the soul of the 108th species, Soa's plan for the destruction of the world, the Virage Embryo. The soul, free to roam, possesses a human body every 108 years, and that human would lead the soul to the flesh- The Moon that Never Sets! The Soul of the God of Destruction _is_ what you humans call the Moon Child. Not quite the 'Holy Blessing' you were looking for, huh?" He looked back at Paine, and then continued, "But, one Dragoon found out about it, after the war was over, and in order to prevent the God of Destruction from ever being born, she has been killing the Moon Children over across the centuries, earning her the infamous title as the 'Black Monster'!"

"Why you, Paine?" Axel asked. "All this time, you..."

Then, Dart intervened and looked over at Roxas. "But, like I said, Rose, eighteen years ago, you messed up."

"How? I killed him, even though he was the Prince of Mille Seseau! And the entire ship! And everyone in Neet, because of that stupid procession of the newborn prince!" Paine followed Dart's gaze over to Roxas, and watched as Axel was also pushed back against the wall, being pulled into the same sphere as the rest of the Dragoons.

"Eighteen years ago, Mille Seseau's Queen bore _two_ sons. Twins. The one you killed was not the Moon Child," Dart said.

Roxas gulped and started to back away from Paine as well. "A-Axel?" he called.

And then, Dart said it. "_Roxas_ is the Moon Child."

Paine stared Roxas down, and then tapped into her Spirit enough to call her sword to her hand.

Dart laughed again and continued, "I'll even give you one more chance, Rose, to destroy the Moon Child."

Axel pushed against the side of the sphere holding him back. "NO! PAINE, DON'T!"

Roxas trembled. "Paine?"

She attacked, tears in her eyes- she had genuinely _liked_ Roxas, but Moon Children cannot live. But, she didn't get contact with Roxas like she had planned, but instead, she saw the red armor of the Red-Eye Dragoon, his wings curled around Roxas protectively and his shoulders heaving with strain. "Axel? What are you-"

Dart laughed even louder. The other Dragoons stepped away from the wall and looked on curiously- how did Axel break the magic that Dart had cast?

"Axe, you have to let her do this! I'll kill everything if she doesn't!" Roxas said.

"He can't help it!" Dart said, stepping down and watching as Axel's armor faded in a bright red light. "Rose, you didn't realize it when you found out? Didn't realize that a _survivor of Neet_ was among you the entire time? I'm sure he mentioned it to you at least once!"

Paine shook her head and dismissed her sword. "Not, him, too…" she whispered.

"You really messed up this time. Not only did you leave the Moon Child alive, but you even left him a Servant," Dart said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xaldin said.

"Axel survived Neet. He saw the Moon Child as an infant, and so will always be physically drawn to him," Paine explained. "I should have known," she berated herself.

Axel looked at Roxas and then at the ground. Was what he felt for Roxas not really love then, but just a sick, almost animalistic need to protect the God of Destruction until it destroys everything? He felt Roxas's hand on his arm for a brief moment, and then it was gone, and he looked up at his father and saw Roxas next to the man again, pulled flush to his side, and he screamed for Roxas, but Dart just laughed while the rest of the Dragoons and Xaldin took a fighting stance.

"I'll dissolve the Signet of the Moon That Never Sets, let it fall to the ground, and cross it with the Moon Child!" Dart said. "I have everything in my hands, and soon Soa's plan will come to fruition!"

"Let Roxas go!" Demyx yelled.

Roxas struggled against Dart's hold while the man said, "And you are going to kill him? To save the world? You'd also have to get past Axel, too, you know!"

Paine called her sword back to her hand. "I'll kill them both, if that's what it takes!"

She charged at Dart, and everyone else tensed as Axel also ran after her, but she hit one of Dart's magics- a wall that she was pushed back against, and landed in Axel's arms.

"All is the will of Soa! My hands start the world, and My hands end the world. Fate desires it!"

Then, a bright flash of light blinded the Dragoons and all that was left of Dart and Roxas was the echo of the latter screaming for Axel.

* * *

Lexaeus led the way through the scorching desert, followed closely by Demyx and then Zexion, who both were sharing the darkness of his shadow. Xaldin and Xion took the next place in line, their hands brushing occasionally, but it could have been accidental each time. Xaldin had found a way to retract the Dragon Buster's blade into the hilt, and it rocked against his hip with each step.

Right behind them was Axel, who hadn't said a word since they left Vellweb two days ago. No one was even sure if he was thinking, only moving forward because it hurt less to keep moving than to stop and think about what had happened. He couldn't even be happy that, for once, he could breathe perfectly fine because of the lack of water in the air.

Paine brought up the rear of their procession, still berating herself mentally for killing the wrong child. Every so often, she would look up at the sky, to make sure the Moon That Never Sets was still there.

Finally, they came to an oasis, where everyone stripped off unnecessary clothing and took a break. Demyx was swimming around a rock that Zexion had perched himself on, and asked, "Where are we going, again?"

Zexion sighed and kicked his feet through the water. "Ulara, I think she said. Don't you know about it? Paine said it was a city of Winglies," he said.

Xigbar hopped over to where they were and sat down next to Zexion while Demyx explained, "No. I mean, I think my dad mentioned it, once, but I'm really not sure."

"We're almost there," Xigbar said. "At least, that's what Paine was muttering about before." The three of them looked over to where she stood against one of the trees, staring darkly at the water like _it_ was the cause of their problems. They went back to relaxing silently, not even bothering to talk about the problems their oldest team member had.

Xion and Xaldin, with Lexaeus and Axel nearby, were the ones to confront Paine about their new destination. "Paine?" Xaldin started when they were close enough, "What will the Winglies in Ulara know?"

A hot breeze swept through them as Paine answered. "They'll know the way I should take from here. There really is no need for you all to come along."

The slap from Xion turned all the heads of the team while Paine lifted her palm to her cheek. The other girl stood in front of her, arm still outstretched, and yelled, "Don't you understand that it's no longer just 'your problem'?" Xaldin grabbed Xion's wrist and dragged her away from Paine before the older woman turned angrier.

"Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere," he said.

Lexaeus spoke up then, "No one can truly understand, Paine, the weight of fate that you have carried, but if you'll let us, we can at least lighten the load for you."

Xigbar, Zexion, and Demyx joined the group under the tree. Xigbar and Demyx's mouths were hung open a little, and they looked at each other as if to say, _wow, I think that's the most that guy has ever said in one breath._

Paine didn't respond, but Axel did. "That's why we're going with you," he said, and everyone turned to see him still staring out across the pond. He looked twenty years older than before they left for Vellweb, and no one else could think of anything else to say. He stood up and brushed the sand from his pants and walked past them all. "If you have the strength to argue, we can go on."

She was the first to follow him, and everyone stared as Paine and Axel stood side-by-side for a brief moment before she passed and took the lead. Then, everyone else followed.

* * *

Disclaimer: No, no, no. Only the idea of crossing the two together is our idea.

Cy: One of my many _favorite_ scenes in the whole game. I remember the first time I played through and then he said that _she_ was the Moon Child and I was like, "OMG REALLY? actually, that explains a lot..." But it was still cool. And, I'm surprised that the creators of LoD didn't think to include the Servant of the God of Destruction clause in the plot, really... yeah, that whole thing with Axel protecting Roxas really being driven by the sick urge to destroy the world? Not in the game. I made that assumption myself. But, we've been having our way with this storyline the entire time, why stop now? Tune in next time for Veroxen to take them through Ulara.


	26. Chapter TwentyFive

Chapter Twenty-Five

Darkness was beginning to set in as the sun sank below the sand. Nothing had been said since the last stop hours ago. How could anything be said? There was tension between them all but the mission before them drove them forward. Paine came to a stop and the whole group halted.

"We're here." Eyes were shifting to the large expansion of sand before them.

"I... don't see anything," Xaldin pointed out.

"You won't; not yet, at least," Paine said slowly as she removed her choker from her neck. "After the Dragon Campaign, all the Winglies went into hiding, even the ones that were on the side of the humans."

She held out the choker and it glowed. Slowly, something came into view on the horizon; a city floating above the sand. Water poured down from the many pathways and shoots and cascaded to the ground where it vanished just before touching the sand. "Ulara. It's the home to someone who will tell us everything," she replaced the choker. She swiftly waved her hand summoning the teleporter pad and stepped forward onto it. The others silently followed, and when the last person stepped forward they were immediately teleported deep into the city.

Axel looked around unable to believe the plants and the water that surrounded them. They were in the middle of the desert and here, it was like they didn't just step out of a sandstorm a little while ago.

"I don't believe it? Is that you? Rose, dear?" A female winglie said, stepping forward.

"It's Paine now," she said walking away and leading the other Dragoons forward. There was a look they all knew in her eyes. Paine led them swiftly through the city, bringing them to another teleporter. This one led them right up to the ledge on the castle. Paine stepped forward swiftly and looked around.

"I'm back!" She yelled her eyes looking everywhere. "I know you're here!"

"No need to yell." Paine turned and she looked right at the man in the corner. "I could sense you coming; did you think I would not wait for you?" He stepped forward. Dressed almost all in black he was much different than any winglie they had seen so far. His light blond hair stuck up in every direction. Axel immediately noticed his eyes; they were sharp and calculated like all the fighters he had ever encountered.

The man focused on Axel. "Is that you, Dart?" Axel took a step backwards and then looked at the man. But, the man sighed, realizing. "No, I guess not, he's much older than you."

"Cloud, this is Axel," Paine said waving her hand. "He is the Red-Eyed Dragoon."

"Just like him, how odd," he said lightly, then his focus switched back to Paine.

"If you knew I was coming, you know why then," she said. Cloud nodded and waved his hand for them all to follow.

"I knew something was happening when the Divine Dragon was set loose, Rose." His eyes shifted to her. "It destroyed the Crystal Place."

"And it released something," Paine said and stopped walking. Her voice was angry as she continued, "You never told me what I was guarding. All you said was it was to prevent the destruction of the world."

"And it is." Cloud sat down and motioned towards a few couches and chairs around the room and they all did the same. "I guess now it is time to explain to you and your new set of Dragoons what is happening here."

"Why did my father take Roxas?" Axel demanded.

"I'll get to that. Let me explain the beginning first, Axel." Cloud said his voice cool and calm. "The beginning..." Cloud paused, gathering his thoughts, then spoke, without pause:

"Long ago, the Divine tree produced 107 fruits, but it produced one other fruit. The one hundred and eighth species, it was to be the end of the world; The God of Destruction. We as Winglies were selfish and did not want the world to end so we split this god into two. Xemnas took its soul into a sphere so that he could draw from the god's unlimited powers. The body of the beast was placed as far as we could put it- in the sky as the Moon That Never Sets.

"My brother was foolish and drew from the beast's power. Doing this was destroying everything; not just the beings of this world, but the land itself. I tried to reason with him but Xemnas would never hear of anything so I created the five Signet Spheres. These were barriers, locks; it prevents the energy flow from the flesh of the god to the soul, cutting off Xemnas's power. I thought it would be enough to stop him, maybe to show him the light, but instead he battled me and created the Divine Moon objects. These creations held enough power to destroy one signet each.

"The Dragon Campaign raged on and I sent my forces into battle and joined alongside my friends, the Dragoons and the humans to stand up against my brother. During the final battle, everything happened. Dart battled my brother and won, but in the process he destroyed the Crystal Sphere, the object which contained the Soul of the God of Destruction. The battles all around the Holy city shattered the first of my Signets, and all but one Dragoon died."

Paine interrupted, telling part of the story. "I managed to survive, against my own will. I hadn't known what was going on between Cloud and Xemnas, but I had witnessed and partook in the battle with Xemnas and did not miss the display that resulted from the Crystal Sphere's shattering."

Cloud nodded, and continued, "When all was done I told her about the Crystal Sphere. When it was shattered, the soul broke free and took into the human race- the new dominant race of the earth. Even with the four signets, the flesh still called to the soul. Axel, you witnessed this as the Red Moon and the bringing of the Black Monster. Rose took the job; she knew that the world needed to stay safe. The problem was not just the soul, but it corrupted everyone: human, every Winglie around it, anyone with a conscious. This was why everyone who ever came in contact with the Moon Child needed to be silenced. Unpleasant, but necessary to protect the world."

The room was silent for a minute, with the Dragoons and Xaldin processing the story they just heard. Zexion was the first to break the silence.

"So... all the stories of holy bliss... That was the ignorance of destruction?" he asked, looking at Cloud who nodded slowly.

"At the time, we did not know what to do. We were- and still are- a foolish race. Blinded by the fact we control magic, we did the best we could. _I_ did the best I could. We do not know how to stop it, or how to kill it. Rose becoming the Black Monster was the best thing we could come up with at the time."

"These signets," Xigbar started, "You said they hold the Moon That Never Sets in the sky?" Cloud nodded, looking at Xigbar.

"When we placed it there, we found that it was drawn to the soul. So the signets not only prevent the soul from going near the flesh, it keeps the flesh from reaching the ground."

"There are four signets left and three Divine Moon objects so we should be safe right?" Xion asked.

"Four signets? There are only three; all which react with the remaining Divine moon objects," Cloud said.

"Where were the signets?" Paine asked.

"The Holy City, the Crystal Place, Magical City Aglis, Law City Zenebatos, and Death City Mayfil. As I recall, the Divine Dragon, when released, attacked and destroyed the Crystal Palace."

"I thought you said that the signets could only be destroyed with the Divine Moon objects?" Axel swiftly pointed out.

"No, unfortunately, the attacks must be as powerful as the _power_ held in the Divine Moon object," Cloud said waving his hand. "The energy generated in the battle at the Holy City was enough to destroy the signet there. This is one way of defense against this."

"What is it?" Zexion cried.

"You have to be right by the signet to destroy it with a Divine Moon Object," Paine said looking at her hands. "It means if Dart really wants to get to the Moon, he has to go to the remaining cities." She looked to Cloud. "I didn't think the cities were still living."

"You'll know the man in Aglis, but Rose- Zenebatos and Mayfil, did you really think they would die?" Paine said nothing and averted her eyes from the rest of the group. "What I don't get, Rose, is how did Dart know any of this?"

"That is what I want to know." She closed her eyes. _Why would he want to destroy the world when we worked so hard to save it?_

"If there is anything else you need to know, come and find me. I am willing to answer any questions you have. I do suggest that you all take the night off and prepare. I sent word ahead to Fletz and they'll have a ship there to take you where you need to go." The Dragoons stood and began to disperse. Paine stayed, noticing that Axel was hanging around her.

"I know what you want," she said without looking at him. "We can settle this now."

* * *

The night air was cold, but not around Axel. The flames now obeyed all his command; he was no longer a student of his Dragon but a master. He pushed his chakrams forward pushing the sword back and dealing a burst of black flames along Paine's left side. She swiftly turned, bring the sword across his face. Axel flew back but summoned all his strength and threw down the wall of fire.

Paine was no novice, either, though. Her dark burst shattered the fire and she shot right for him. If he did not win against her how was he going to beat his father? How could he ever hope to rescue Roxas?

He flew backwards a little to catch his breath; he'd started panting just a bit. "You... killed everyone! My family and my friends!" he yelled, letting this hate and anger fuel the fires.

"Then show me that you have learned something!" Paine yelled at him. "Show me how to defeat the Black Monster!" She dismissed her sword and threw down her hands summoning the dark aura around her body; it cloaked her creating the dark shape he had seen in his nightmares for years. Axel dismissed his chakrams and summoned the red hit flames to his hands feeling the Dragon take to his side. He dived down hard and fast the flames intensifying.

The Dark Dragon burst from the sands to battle the Red-eyed Dragon. Axel brought down both hands slashing at the dark aura. The Black Monster's claws collided with his own. Red flames mixed with shadow aura, creating a patch of liquid fire. The beast's tail lashed out at him and he found himself trapped in the grip of the beast. He would not easily be beaten! He closed his eyes and summoned the flames and flung his wings out creating a powerful explosion freeing him. He dodged backwards, his wings working hard to creating a burning wind to stop the painful shadows from touching his body.

Axel flew up fast, summoned the fire to his hand, and dived, his wings tucked and one clawed flame held out straight down. He tore through the Black Monster, cutting off the aura. He pulled up swiftly and spun, the flames whipped around following his movements. They crafted themselves into a fiery vortex which burned the remainder of the shadow aura and dispensed with the black dragon.

Paine hovered above the ground, her armor was scorched and she looked weakened. Despite the obvious loss, she smiled. "You learned the secondary power of fire, Axel: light." She closed her eyes and lowered herself down to a knee. She bowed her head and held her sword out, the hilt towards Axel. "I'm proud, but my fate has been earned." Axel touched down to the ground allowing the flames to vanish. His eyes moved to the sword before him, then to Paine. He reached forward and grabbed her arm pulling her up.

"The Black Monster is dead," he said, looking her straight in the eyes. "All I see is an irreplaceable friend who has suffered so much without a cry of help or pain. That's why you took that name isn't it?" She nodded silently, and lowered her eyes again. He put his hand on her shoulder and continued, "We will end this. We will find my father, and we will stop him _and_ the birth of the God of Destruction. And we'll do it together, Rose." Her eyes snapped up to him. "We need you and everything you know." She nodded and they grabbed each other's hands.

"Then I will need to teach you and the others the spell that allowed me to become the monster. Only by mastering that will we be able to best Dart."

* * *

Zexion and Lexaeus both stood at a fountain, the Moon shining down and lighting up the square so they could just barely see. They both were silent for a long time, knowing that nothing needed to be said. They were leaving in the morning, and neither knew what they'd be going up against.

Lexaeus thought about how he used to follow Emperor Doel, who always told him that he'd become a leader of all creatures, and make it equal for everyone. This was no longer about equality or which race was better or smarter or faster or stronger; it was about survival, and if the world didn't work together, it'd all be destroyed.

Zexion also thought about his first reason for joining Axel, Paine, Roxas, and Xigbar. Xaldin had been out of commission, and the group needed all the Dragoons they could get. Besides that, as the King of Serdio, he'd had a right to the Moon Gem and had needed to go after it. But, now, this was much more than just getting the Moon Gem back- it was, possibly, getting at least _one_ of the Divine Moon objects back and destroying it, so that the Signet that it was aligned with had greater protection.

In silence, they both wondered how much longer it was until sunrise. Eventually, Zexion started to nod off, and Lexaeus offered to help him back to the castle, where they were all staying. Zexion agreed, and fell asleep on Lexaeus's back on the way to the castle.

* * *

Xaldin walked just behind Xion, through the streets of Ulara, letting her lead the way as they wandered. She turned her head up at him every once in a while. Xaldin just kept a small smile on his face; protecting Xion was something he knew he could do forever. The girl was, really, just perfect; and, nobility helped, of course.

They came into a stop by a flower bed. Xaldin stopped and looked at the roses, and kneeled down before them, Xion stopped behind him.

"Roses," Xion said. "Roxas would have liked them, I think."

Xaldin looked up at her and smiled. "I didn't think you liked flowers, Xion. You come off as such a tomboy sometimes- more warrior than woman," he said.

She blushed, and he caught that, but looked away with a frown. "Flowers are okay, but roses make me puke. They're just flashy, anyway."

Xaldin stood up and led her over to a bench, where they both sat down (closer than necessary). He waited for her to continue, because he knew that she was going to.

"Roses remind me of my mother- my biological mother. She used to beat me up, and I never knew why, but in every memory I have of her, there were always roses on the shelf behind her," Xion said.

He took her hand, and feeling that she was almost leaning into him, threaded their fingers together. "Why did you mother leave you?"

Xion stared down at their clenched hands, but refused to answer.

Xaldin and she stayed on the bench deep into the night, until she fell asleep on his shoulder. He carried her back, meeting Lexaeus along the way, carrying his King, and they walked together with the sleeping Royals. Both men knew that it might be one of their last nights to sleep well.

* * *

Demyx stared at the rivers that crossed everywhere around the city. It was amazing that there was such a place in the middle of a dead land, but then again this was a Winglie city. Xigbar slapped him across the back making him jump. "Was wondering where you went."

"Not too far." Demyx glanced at the sky then at Xigbar. "Do you think we have a chance?"

"A chance at what?" Xigbar asked sounding a little concerned.

"Stopping Dart." Demyx looked away, back out over the desert. "I mean, he is one of the first Dragoons ever and is super powerful. He has all the Divine moon objects. How do we compete?"

Xigbar looked over at him and smiled softly. The kid really was concerned about performing poorly, and boy, did Xigbar understand _that_ sentiment.

"Remember Cloud said that Dart has to go to the signets to destroy them. There are three left and Paine knows where they are. I think we have a chance." He patted Demyx on the back. "You've become a good Dragoon and as the water element, you hold a slight advantage over a fire element, plus we have Paine and Axel. We've gotten this far, little dude. We're going to get through the next part."

Demyx smiled back, and Xigbar looked up at the sky.

* * *

Veroxen: Short but sweet. Sorry for the long wait for that all that care; welcome to transition chapter time! Hooray! However anyone who knows the game knows what is coming so I guess it is worth it in the end. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Cy: The parts with Zexion and Lexaeus, and Xion and Xaldin were both written by me. I love fluff =)


	27. Chapter TwentySix

Chapter Twenty-Six

The sunrise on Ulara was certainly a sight, and Paine stood against the railing outside the room she and the others of her group had been staying in, to watch. No one else was awake yet and it was peaceful, like it should be. Like it had always been.

The doors behind her opened and shut, and she reached out with her Dragoon- _the Red-Eye_, her Dragon told her. She didn't bother looking back to see him, as he had come up and stood next to her. They watched the town wake up beneath them, and when the sun was finally over the horizon, Axel spoke.

"You haven't killed me yet, y'know," he said.

Paine scoffed. "Like I could, anymore," she said. "I've taught you too well."

Axel ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, but if it comes down to it, you're going to have to kill Roxas, aren't you?"

She didn't answer, but they both knew the answer.

"You'll have to get through me to do it, whether I'm in my right mind or not," Axel stated, and Paine just nodded.

"I know. You'll do anything for him." She looked over at him and let her lips quirk into an almost-smile. "I miss the time when you were chased by Feyrbrand, in the forest."

He laughed; well, the sound was there, but there was nearly no humor in it. "Yeah, back when everything was simpler. Back when none of us knew what was going on. I almost wished we could have remained ignorant, but then, who'd be saving the world?"

Paine sighed. "The world is created so that it can perish at any time. The creator, Soa, can recreate a world whenever He wishes. But, the people living there can accept it, believing it is 'fate,' or struggle against it." She looked up at the sky, becoming brighter with the growing day, and frowned. "I've struggled to protect this world… for far too long."

His hand on the back of hers made her look over. She saw compassion there, friendship, and, strangely, _not_ Dart. For the first time since her realization after the ghost ship, she didn't look at Axel and see Dart; she saw _him_. The friend he's become, the companion, the warrior- she could even see, in his eyes, how in love he was with Roxas, and it was the only thing that she saw that could even _remind_ her of Dart anymore.

"You're not alone in this anymore," he said. Then, he turned away and walked back inside. "Let's go. We've got a world to save."

* * *

The rest of the group was in a dining room on the first floor, with Cloud. Demyx was talking to anyone who would listen (mostly Zexion and Cloud, both of who seemed to be amused by just _how much_ that boy was talking, but not _saying_ anything). Xion, Xaldin, and Xigbar were chatting away, and Axel noticed that Xigbar was having almost _too_ good a time for the time of day. It was probably more about him getting to go home to Rogue than anything, but it was still a little unnerving.

Lexaeus watched silently, sitting next to Zexion. Paine sat across from Axel, in the middle of the table, listening to the conversations around her. It… really was like how it was back then. But, still, so much different. Before, they were fighting for their freedom; now, they're fighting for their lives.

"-And then, we'll kick some serious ass!" Demyx stood up and shouted, and the whole table went quiet except for a few giggles from Xion, but everyone was amused. "Yeah! Axel and Paine can totally call out their Dragons and just make that guy scared, and then Xigbar and Lex and Xion will beat him up really good. Zexy could totally take him breathless with that wind-thing that he does, and then Xaldin and I can go in for the final blow!"

Zexion's eye twitched and he crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly no longer amused. "_What_ did I _do_ to deserve that nickname?" he whispered furiously.

Everyone, even Paine, was smiling as Demyx continued on different ways that they could save the world, but it all came to an end when Cloud stood up. "You all need to be ready to leave soon. Rose will lead you all to the Portal when you're ready. I need to gather the town together."

When he left, the good mood that Demyx had made left with him. Demyx didn't even try to start it up again, just finished his breakfast in silence with the rest of them.

"Spoilsport…" he grumbled.

* * *

The transport went smoothly, and within another day of travelling, they were back at Fletz, looking up at the Castle. Zexion sighed a little, knowing that he'd probably have to do all the talking again, but Xion was the one that took the lead and walked them up to the castle steps and into the Chamber of the Sun, where King Zior was waiting.

"Everything is ready for you all to go to Rogue," King Zior said. He caught each of their gazes and continued, "Even if it was the intention of the Creator, the world must not be destroyed. Please, Dragoons, save us all."

They all nodded, and the King stepped down from his chair. The whole of the court took a knee, including the Dragoons and Xaldin, but Zior stopped in front of Axel, and put his hand on Axel's shoulder. Axel looked up at him and Zior said, "The Winglie messenger told me everything. I… can only imagine what you are going through right now, with your love being taken and used as a weapon."

Axel looked back down and felt himself loosing control. It wasn't fair. He… had managed to stay so strong…

Xaldin's hand on his other shoulder was barely enough to calm him down, and the two of them left the Chamber without excusing themselves; no one else cared, really, though. They went out to the balcony and looked over the sea that they would soon have to cross to get to Rogue, and Axel, silently, cried.

After a long while, he spoke, Xaldin letting him get it all out. "This spot… this is where Roxas and I… I told him here, after we defeated Olette, that I loved him." His voice was still shaky, and as Xaldin looked on, he saw that Axel had dark circles under his eyes and clearly hadn't been sleeping well.

They stood together for a long time, both thinking about different things, but Xaldin was more thinking about the "thing" he had with Xion. He cared for her, deeply, more than a knight should, and he honestly _couldn't_ imagine what it would be like to be separated from her if she was being used to destroy the world.

Zior had said that he _could only imagine_, but, really, no one in existence knew what Axel was going through. That kind of pain could not even be fathomable to anyone to point of being able to _imagine_ what it'd be like.

The only thing he could do was be there for Axel, and hope that it turns out well for them in the end.

* * *

The ship ride was, sadly, uneventful… other than, of course, Xigbar _bouncing_ around the ship. He was obviously very excited to be going home, even though it was only to pass through to their first destination. As they rowed in on two small boats (the tiny town didn't have nearly enough space to dig a proper dock), Xigbar looked around at all the others and smiled.

"It's been a long time. I wonder if anyone remembers me?"

The boats were tied up and they were greeted by a couple of the older folks of the village. The oldest-looking man strode up to Xigbar and laughed, pulling him into a tight hug. "Xigbar! It's been, what, twenty years? How have you been, old friend?"

Xigbar laughed and hugged the old man back. "I've been great; got new friends, new enemies, new fighting style."

And older woman came up to them and smiled. "You've been gone so long, Master Xigbar. Where did you go?"

Xigbar's smile faltered a bit as he stepped away from the old man. "I was looking for Claire after she ran away, but I gave up on it," he said. "Anyways, Mayor," he addressed the old man, "We've got some important things to talk about."

The Mayor nodded like he understood, and said, "Your place, or mine?"

"The dojo's probably bigger. My place," Xigbar said. He motioned behind him for the rest of the group to follow. It didn't take very long to get from the docks to the dojo, but Demyx loved how practically the whole village was suspended above the water.

It was, actually, only the dojo that wasn't on the water. They stepped onto the island and walked the little ways to the building that still stood, and, as Xigbar mentioned, _has been standing_ for almost seventy years. "My granddad built it, I think," he mused as he let them all inside.

"Hasn't changed a bit, huh?" Xigbar asked as he looked around the room.

The dojo still had the standard purple mats rolled up against the wall, and the belts on display above the windows. His (and his sister's) old living quarters were behind the door to his left, blocked from view by a wall.

"Hey, Xigbar?" Demyx asked, "Do you wanna roll out a mat for us all to sit on, or do you have another place we can sit and talk?"

Xigbar nodded in the direction of the living area. "Through the door."

When they'd all found enough cushions and places to sit near and around a table just past the door, the Mayor asked, "You came all the way here, Xigbar; what did you wanna talk about?"

"We were looking for a way to the ancient cities," Xigbar said.

"The what?"

"Towns were Winglies used to live," Paine said, crossing her arms.

The Mayor gave her an even more confused look. "What on earth is a Winglie?"

Xigbar sighed. "You all might wanna take a break, I gotta explain this to him," he said.

The others nodded and stood up. Lexaeus, Demyx, and Zexion went out to the dojo to spar a little. Xaldin and Xion followed each other outside and sat together on the docks. Paine stayed and helped fill in any holes that Xigbar might have missed.

Axel, though, got Xigbar's attention really quick and said, "I'm just gonna go lay down for a bit, okay?"

"Sure thing, little Axe." Axel pouted at the nickname, and Xigbar continued, "My sister's room is just down the hall, second on the left. It's white; my room's across the hall and is purple. Whichever looks more comfy, you can take."

Axel nodded and went down the hall, turning around the corner and counted doors. He opened the left door and peered in, taking a whiff- it smelled stale, but something was…

Familiar?

He stepped in and closed the door behind him, then rolled out the bed so he could lie down. He didn't bother with covers, just rested his head on the pillow, and closed his eyes. Faintly, he could hear Xigbar and Paine talking to the Mayor, and the soft sounds lulled him to sleep.

* * *

At some point while he was sleeping, Axel felt a hand run through his hair softly, and he groaned in his sleep. _Not yet, Dad…_

_Dad?_

…

_Damn it…_

He opened his eyes slowly and saw Xigbar sitting on the floor next to him, a soft smile on his face. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Axel just groaned. "Yeah, just didn't wake up well." Xigbar was silent, waiting for Axel to continue, and he did, saying, "It's just… my Dad used to wake me up like that, and it all came back to me so fast…"

Xigbar patted his back. "It'll get harder before it gets easier. But, you're strong, and you've got all of us; you'll get through this," he said, standing up and offering a hand for Axel.

As he stood up, he noticed on the dresser that there were some old picture frames. Xigbar left the room quickly, but Axel went to take a look at the photos. There were four frames, but one was empty. The first photo had a group of four girls huddled together, all holding up brown belts- a graduation ceremony, Axel guessed. He saw, also, that a much younger Xigbar was standing in the background frowning, but that could have just been because he got caught in the photo. The second and third photos were almost the same picture: a girl (who looked nothing like Xigbar, so Axel assumed was _not_ his sister) and a guy standing together. Axel recognized the guy- _Gehrich_, but he was much younger and seemed a lot happier. In both of those photos, the two seemed to be beckoning the photographer to take the picture with them. Axel smiled- Claire had really good friends.

He picked up the fourth and empty frame, turned it over in his hands, and noticed a bit of writing on the back. _Granddad, Dad, Xiggy, and Me!_ Axel, really wanting to know what Claire looked like, and hoping that the photo was just turned around inside the frame, opened it up and separated the cardboard away from the glass. Unfortunately, there was no photo, but he was determined.

Axel went out into the dojo, where everyone was talking or sparring in small groups, probably waiting for him, and he pulled Xigbar aside. He told Xigbar about the photos and about his curiosity to see what Claire looked like, and Xigbar nodded.

"Yo! We'll be right back!"

"Where are you going?" Zexion asked.

"Yeah, we need to get to that stick-ruins thing the Mayor had mentioned," Demyx said.

"Just gotta show Axel something. It won't take long, I promise," Xigbar said, and led Axel back into the living area, back down the hall, but this time, they went into his room. It was put together exactly the same as Claire's room, except that it was all various shades of gray and purple. "Purple's the color of the Rogue Martial Arts School," Xigbar explained. "I wanted to prove to my Dad that I was serious."

Xigbar went over to his dresser opened the top drawer. He pulled out a loose photo and brought it over to Axel, who still stood in the doorway. "That's Claire," Xigbar said, pointing to the figure in the middle.

Axel looked and gasped. _"What the-?"_ He grabbed the photo from Xigbar's hands and studied it, but there was no denying it.

"Axe? What?"

"This… is…"

"Axel, snap out of it!"

Axel looked up at Xigbar and pointed to the girl in the photo. "_That_ is my mother," he said.

Xigbar grabbed the photo away from him and stared at her, then back at Axel, and back at the photo. "No way!" he said. He could barely see a resemblance!

Axel, instead, pulled a picture out of his own pocket, the only one he still had of his parents, which he'd had with him when his father and mother ushered him out of the town. He showed it to Xigbar, who immediately recognized Axel, and Dart, and the woman…

_Claire._

"Unless she had a twin, Xigbar…"

Xigbar looked back at Axel and cocked his head to the side. "I… you took after your dad _way_ too much," Xigbar muttered.

The two of them just stood in shock together, staring at each other's photos of the same woman, until Xigbar stepped forward and pulled Axel into a tight hug. Axel didn't hug back right away, but he felt that Xigbar needed this, so he slowly put his arms around Xigbar's waist and leaned his head on the man's shoulder.

"Little Axe… my _nephew_…"

Axel chuckled. "Doesn't sound as weird as _Uncle_ Xigbar."

Xigbar clapped his hand hard across the back of Axel's head. Axel grunted and started to talk, but Xigbar interrupted him before he could get a sound out. "Don't you start joking about this," he said. He held Axel at arm's length and frowned. "I… Damn it, Axel, I just found out that my sister's _dead_, and that her son's been with me all this time and I didn't even know!"

They both just stood there, Axel's arms hung loosely at his side for a time before he smiled. "Yeah, but we know now. That's what matters, right?"

Xigbar pulled him back against his chest and grinned. "You're right," he said, and finally they broke away and started back towards the group waiting in the dojo. Xigbar stopped at the door and turned back to Axel and chucked. "Y'know what, though? Now, instead of just getting a good friend back, I'm fighting for my _nephew's_ _boyfriend_."

Axel flushed. "Xigbar, you really don't have to-"

"As if! You're my nephew, and my nephew's boyfriend is in trouble. This means war, boy!"

The two of them laughed as they went out into the dojo. The mayor was the first to notice them, and said, "Xigbar! You look like ten years dropped off your face!"

The Dragoons, and Xaldin, all looked over, and crowded around where Axel and Xigbar were, just by the door, and Xigbar put his arm around Axel's shoulders and said, "Yeah, well, my search for Claire is over for good."

* * *

The group was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking out into the ocean where there was a massive whirlpool surrounding a pole. It certainly didn't look like humans could have made it, and the whirlpool around it was very suspicious.

"If I remember correctly," Paine said, "there was only the Magical City Aglis in this region. But, again, the Winglies built _floating_ cities. It's hart to imagine that it's sunk under water."

"But, technically, this could be Aglis?" Zexion asked.

"Even if it is, how do we get there?" Demyx pointed out, "Not by boat, obviously."

"However we have to, we'd better figure it out before Dart does," Lexaeus said.

Then, suddenly, the ground started to rumble. It got worse and worse until Xion was grabbing Xaldin for support. Demyx and Zexion had grabbed onto Lexaeus's arms to keep from falling over, while Xigbar steadied Axel. Paine, however, tripped and fell; she scrambled to get back up but failed each time.

Finally, she groaned and called back for the Dragoons to fly. Each of them tapped into their Spirits enough to call their wings, and Lexaeus grabbed Xaldin. Off the ground, the rumbling wasn't an issue, and they watched as the cliff fell apart, down into the sea.

Which, by the way, was parting. The water was slowly backing up against itself until the sea shelf was visible, and the Dragoons followed Paine as she flew down to the shore. "Aglis must be revealing itself," she said over the noise of the water and the earthquake.

Axel floated forward slowly, and Paine watched as he said, "Then we need to stop hesitating. My… _Dart_ will be heading this way, most likely, right?" Paine gave him an affirmative nod, and together, they led the rest of the group through the parting sea.

* * *

Disclaimer: Maa… nope. 's not ours.

Cy: In the original game, the two that Axel and Xigbar are playing never figure out that they're related when they so obviously are. It made me sad, so I remedied it. And, more drama and angst for Axel! Yay for angst!


	28. Chapter TwentySeven

Chapter Twenty-Seven**  
**

**Part 1: Aglis **

"What exactly is this city?" Axel asked looking at Paine. They were flying over the channel which had split the sea at the island to where the _Stick _had been. The closer they all got to it, the more tense and uneasy they all felt.

"The magic city, Aglis. The Winglies used to study magic here," she said glancing at her fellows. "It was shot down long ago, but no one had remembered where it had actually fallen." She slowed along with the others. Down below, the water swirled around the massive purple city. The massive towers were sticking above the true waves while the water was parted and split all around the rest of it.

"It's bigger than-"Zexion began.

"It's bigger than any human city then and now," Paine said cutting Zexion off. "There, a place we can land." She led the dragoons into the city where they landed on one of the paths.

"This place gives me uneasy feelings, guys," Xion said looking around before hurrying over to Xaldin.

"I'll agree with that," Xaldin muttered looking at the massive towers and many walkways. Paine whistled and lead them down the path. No one said anything as they walked; if this city was anything like the Forbidden City, it would be crawling with unpleasant things and possibly a virage.

The group passed through several doorways but it was the seventh that proved to be the most heart stopping. Axel swiftly turned along with the others but the water was rushing into the channel they had come through and the gates were closing."We're going to be trapped!" Demyx yelled trying to grab the gate.

"Don't bother." Paine said pulling Demyx back. "The gates and the passage way have to be sealed." She looked forward, her eyes scanning the strange blue and purplish city. They could all see the hatred in her eyes. "We need to go forward, Savan is waiting for us."

"Who is Savan?" Axel asked looking at her. "An old friend?"

"I would not really call him a friend," Paine answered slowly. "More like he was an acquaintance, like Cloud and the winglies in Ulara, he was one of the few that actually liked humans and who wanted to help. After the Dragon Campaign and the problems that followed, Savan came here to continue his study in magic but also to guard the Signet in case anyone might happen to find out about the power that it sealed."

"So, what does this guy study?" Demyx asked, looking around.

"Magic; did you not hear me?" She said looking at Demyx. They stopped at a crossroad. To their left were mighty steel doors, strange creatures were engraved upon them. However, they did not open no matter how hard they tried.

"Locked," Lexaeus muttered glancing at the others.

"Then that is not where we need to go," Paine said looking at them. "We need to go the other way," she said leading them down the new path. "Savan is waiting."

* * *

"This city is so large," Xaldin said looking around. "Can you imagine, this thing used to float hundreds of feet above where it is now?"

"It's not something you really want to see, believe me," Paine said glancing at him from the front of the group. "They were not pleasant and they brought nothing but misery to everyone on the ground." She looked forward again. "They always brought death to the area."

As they moved through the massive maze of teleporters and walkways, they saw many strange creatures move through the water all around them. Lights of red and yellow blinked from many different places and everyone swore they saw a serpentine creature swimming near them. Other than the life in the waters, the city itself seemed devoid of life; nothing moved and nothing made a sound except for their footsteps and the slow dripping of water.

"We've been walking _forever,_ Paine!" Demyx moaned looking at her. "Where are we going? Do you even know?"

"The only teleporters that are active are the ones that Savan wants us to use," she said glancing behind to look at him briefly. "We are going where ever he wants us to go; so, no, I don't know where we are going."

Axel stopped causing her and everyone else to. They all looked up at the massive building complex before them. "Somehow, I feel that this is going to end badly for all of us," Xion said looking unsure. Paine pushed past Axel and stepped forward into the building.

The room inside was massive and seemed to stretch high up into the darkness. All across the bottom there were screens with bright lights and images but in the center of the room there was a massive crystal ball floating above the ground. The other Dragoons entered and their images appeared on the face of the crystal.

"That's a little creepy," Zexion said moving closer to Leaxeus. Demyx walked forward and waved his hand, his image doing the same thing.

"What is that?" Xigabr asked glancing at Paine.

"One of Savan's devices," she said pulling Demyx away from the crystal ball and towards the ramp that led up and out of the building. "He used it to watch the city but it seems that he was using it to watch us."

"Why would he be doing that?" Paine did not look at nor answer Xigbar, but continued forward leading the group deeper into the blue and purple city. The temperature began to drop to uncomfortable temperatures. At the same time it was getting wetter, water was pooling in the lower areas making it impossible to get to some of the teleporters.

Paine stopped before the large doors; all the eyes fell upon the doors as they began to creek open. Paine walked in first followed by Axel. The room was large and separated by a mighty gash which prevented them from reaching the other side. "There's nothing here." Demyx said sadly. "Now what?" Paine walked forward looking every direction and then she sensed it. Turning, Paine was able to see as the old man suddenly appeared before her, slowly flying over the gap.

"Rose," the old wingly said in a soft, relaxed voice. His white beard stretched to his waist along with his hair. His robes were old and torn.

"Savan, it had been a long time."

"It has, Rose, it has," he smiled and glanced towards Axel and the others. "He does look like Dart doesn't he… It's sad what he is doing. I don't understand it."

"Neither do I, but I plan on stopping him."

"I know, Cloud informed me when you all left." He drew his hand up creating a bridge so they could cross the gap. "I have been working since then to create a powerful spell; one that can be used." He said landing gently on the platform and turning to them.

"What do you mean by that?" Paine asked crossing the bridge first. "A onetime use spell?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. One made of the positive energies of the strongest beings alive: the Dragoons." He summoned his staff and moved his arm so the lights burst into life.

"I don't trust this," Axel muttered. "What is it?"

"You will each find a platform, it will teleport you to a room where your heart will be judged. The strengths of your heart will create this spell."

"All we do is answer questions?" Xion asked.

Savan nodded. "My creations will take the images of your heart and test you." Paine stepped away and moved to where the Dark Dragoon symbol was. Upon stepping on her platform she vanished. The others followed Paine's example and went to their stations.

"You said you're judging their hearts? Why?" Xaldin asked.

"The Psychedelic Bomb X, is a powerful magical attack which repeatedly strike the foe with all the elements of the Dragoons." He said glancing at Xaldin. "It will be more valuable to you all when facing the dangers that will lie ahead."

* * *

Lexaeus looked around, but it was all black, except for the soft light in front of him. He saw it was slowly taking a form, and when he blinked slowly, he saw that Paine was standing in front of him. She looked him up and down with a hard look, and said, "We should spar, right now." Lexaeus stood silently, and wouldn't respond to her. "Are you scared because you've lost so many times? Or did being raised with the Giganto mean you developed their cheap pride and you just _won't_ fight me?"

He spoke. "Paine does not speak this way. You are not her."

And she vanished.

But the light reformed itself into the image of Emperor Doel. Lexaeus stepped backwards and tensed. "Don't tell me you're buddying up with the enemy!" Doel said. "Fool! What happened to my plan, the unification of Endiness? Who did you find that replaced me?"

Doel charged forward and swung his sword at Lexaeus, but was stopped as the larger man easily overpowered Doel and disarmed him. "Your ideals still thrive, Emperor Doel. And I have allies, friends, that understand and are helping me understand you better. Your intentions are mine, and I won't let them die," Lexaeus said. Doel faded away and the room became light again.

He found himself back in the room where Xaldin and Savan were waiting. Zexion and Paine were there, too. "Released from the bonds of your past, you have added your brand of courage to the bomb," Savan said. He looked back to the mirror. "We wait for the others."

* * *

Xion looked around, but it was so dark. Even her Spirit couldn't shine enough for her to see anything past her own person. A voice started to speak to her, though, saying, "Are you ready for your challenge?"

She scoffed. "Let's just get this over with already."

"Don't be so hasty. You have a short temper and are hopelessly annoying."

"Hey! Don't be so rude!"

"I have a question for you, annoying Xion." She bit her lip to keep from screaming at the voice, which she still couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Why are you here? For your friends, the world, or for your Queen?"

Xion tapped her foot on the ground and eventually sat while she thought. A minute later, she said, "I'm here for my friends. To keep a promise to Roxas."

"Actually, all the answers were correct. Xion won. But, I lost, so that means I die. But, without me, this space cannot exist. You die too, Xion."

That got her to her feet. "What? You're lying! I'm still alive, look! I'm still here, you see!"

"To die is to vanish," the voice said. From the feet up, Xion watched as her body started to fade away. She screamed. "Now, Xion vanishes, same as me."

"What kind of trick is this? What are you doing to me?" The fading had already erased her up to her waist and her fingertips were slowly disappearing as well.

"Are you scared? Wanna cry?"

Xion growled. "I am ready for death anytime! I don't fear death!" But the quiver was audible in her voice as the fading swallowed her Spirit, and the room went completely dark. She couldn't feel it when the darkness covered her head and she was gone, but she knew that it had happened.

The voice spoke again, though. "You are still annoying. Dart is going to destroy the Signet Sphere, and you are going to be dead."

Xion knelt down and gasped. Her chest hurt. She had failed everyone. Paine, Zexion, Demyx, Lexaeus, Xigbar, Axel. Roxas; she had promised to take care of Axel for him, and now she was dead and couldn't.

Xaldin.

_Xaldin._

She'd never see him again. They were such good... friends. He understood her like no one else had ever, doted on her like no one else. "No," she whispered. "I cannot die now! I haven't done anything yet!"

She was still crying a little when the room went light and she found herself enveloped in a crushing embrace. She looked up and saw Xaldin there, smiling at her, and saw Xigbar, Lexaeus, Zexion, Paine, and Savan also standing by. Xion buried herself in Xaldin's shoulder while Savan mused. "The person who knows the time of their own death has real courage."

* * *

The room Zexion landed in remained lighted, and he looked around curiously until a familiar voice sounded behind him. "Your Majesty Zexion." He turned around and gasped.

"Master Yensid," Zexion said, but looked around the room. The teleporter he had come on seemed to be the only way into the room, but it made a terrible noise. He would have heard it activate if Master Yensid had come that way.

"Serdio is in danger, Zexion."

_No!_ "Please, explain," Zexion said, trying to keep calm. He was worried that this would happen, especially with how long he'd been gone after solving such an internal crisis.

"The eastern tribe is deploying an army around the border. They are taking advantage of your absence, Zexion. I beg for you to return to Indels Castle at once. Your people are waiting for you to come back," Master Yensid said, keeping a stoic countenance.

Zexion looked down at his feet. His initial reaction was to follow Yensid back to Serdio to take care of this growing issue, but then the wispy presence of the Jade Dragoon nudged him to the correct response. "I... cannot do that."

Master Yensid stayed silent, waiting for an explanation.

"I am a Dragoon, before I am a King. Master Yensid, please attend to the matter of the invasion and do everything possible to avoid a fight," Zexion said. He turned back and stepped on the portal and was whisked back to the room with Savan. No one else was there, though, and he stood silent for a moment.

"Has no one else yet completed their task?"

"No. Perhaps, yours was the simplest. Or, perhaps you have your priorities and responsibilities in order," Savan said.

* * *

Demyx wandered around the forest he was transported to, and wondered if it was a real forest or one developed by what was in his heart. "There's nothing here," he concluded after walking around for awhile. "Aren't I supposed to answer questions or face some challenge?"

He walked a little further before his senses tingled and he jumped away from an attack. He looked up and saw Namine swooping in, a spell readying in front of her as she attacked him again. He dodged that attack as well, naturally lighting his wings and taking to the sky. "Namine! What are you doing?"

She threw another spell at him, a fireball, and screamed. "I heard about what happened to the Bardel brothers. They were the defense of our forest and now the humans are getting ready to invade! How can you live with yourself, revealing our position to the world like you have!"

Demyx dove forward and grabbed Namine's hands before she could position another spell and said, "I promised I'd come home after all this is settled. I'll make amends after this, I promise!"

"Promises, promises," Namine hissed. "Make amends with your death, Demyx!"

She flipped them around, finished a spell she had been mentally prepping, and released it. Demyx was blasted out of the air, and created a small crater when his body landed. He gasped for air and watched as Namine floated down to him and readied one last fireball. He bit his lip and then he spoke to his sister softly. "Nami, I can't do anything if I'm dead. Even make amends. That's something you do when you're alive."

The fireball was released and sped toward him, but Demyx closed his eyes and weaved a spell of his own, quicker, and when the light from both of their attacks were gone, he opened his eyes to see the rest of his team, save Axel, standing around him. Xion was already kneeling by his side, healing him up, and he sighed.

"You're a bastard," he said to Savan. "My _heart_ wanted me to fight my own _sister_?"

Savan didn't speak, but stood back and waited. Axel was taking a long time to decide what to do.

* * *

Xigbar was watching over and over again the scene from his past. Claire leaving him, over and over again. Him screaming at her, over and over. Her tears and sobs, over and over, as she tried to explain herself. He ran his own sister out of Rogue, and as he watched this scene a thousand times over, he wondered if he could have stopped her, had he known that she was going to leave.

But then, he was who he was, and even if he were to try and change it, the past would stay the same. He was a hard-headed jackass back then, and he couldn't have stopped her. It was her leaving that changed him for the better- and just because her choice of men was terrible, doesn't mean nothing good came out of it. He had a strong nephew, even though he saw Axel more like a younger brother, and he really was a good person now.

Soon enough, the vision stopped, and he found himself back in the room with Zexion, Lexaeus, Xaldin, and Paine. They were waiting on Demyx, Xion, and Axel.

Zexion came up to him. "What was your courage that you found?"

Xigbar smiled crookedly. "That the past is past, and sometimes, you need that real bit of courage to accept it."

* * *

Paine stood silently in the dark, able to see but seeing nothing.

She waited for her "challenge" to start, but nothing was happening.

Finally, she sighed. "I know what you want me to admit, Savan. The point is, though I don't know if we are doing the right thing for the world, I know that what we are doing is the right thing for the people of this world. Maybe stopping Soa's will is a bad idea, and there is a reason He wanted everything destroyed at the end of creation. But, maybe, He factored our basic will to survive into the equation, and planned for everything to happen. Maybe He knew that Cloud would create the signets, knew that the soul of the God of Destruction would eventually break free, knew that I would take up arms against the Moon Children. Even if this is a part of His plan, I will stand against the destruction of this world, because the people here still have lives to live."

She waited, and then the room became light and she found herself with Zexion and Savan. The old wingly smiled tiredly at her. "The courage to accept fate, hmm? What a power, indeed."

* * *

Axel was fighting. The whole time, Axel fought; first, with the voice that was trying to convince him that he was just a Servant of the God of Destruction and should kill himself to make it easier for the other Dragoons. Second, he fought with himself, to convince himself that he was, indeed, in love with Roxas, and not just dutifully following the Virage Embryo around everywhere because that's what a good servant would do.

Then, he fought with Roxas. Well, a projection of what was in his heart, but it seemed real enough if the cut on his cheek had any say in the matter. He didn't want to fight Roxas, it just started happening. Pretty soon, he held his chakram in his hand, and at the other end was Roxas, on the ground looking up at him with a fearful gaze. "Axel, what are you doing?"

His arm shook. "It's not me, Roxas," he said. "I can't control my own body." His arm jerked forward and he only managed a fraction of control to turn his wrist so the spikes landed on either side of Roxas's neck.

The force that had been controlling him let him go, and he fell forward a little before catching himself. He dismissed his chakram and pulled Roxas up and against his chest. Axel _knew_ that this was just an illusion, a projection of his heart that would make him show the courage he had to power the bomb that Savan had constructed. But, damn it, Roxas was here, and he was going to hold him.

"Axel," the Roxas-illusion said, "if anyone's going to kill me, I want it to be you."

"No one's going to fucking _touch_ you, except me," Axel ground out.

"But what if it's the only way?" Roxas looked up at him and reached up to brush his hand against his cheek. "What if the only way to stop this, to stop _me_, is to kill me?"

"You and I, and everyone else, knows that they have to kill me first," Axel said. "I'm... _Moon tainted_... I couldn't kill you even if I needed to."

"But-"

"I fucking love you, Roxas," Axel said. "Even if we all die, I'll still love you. Even if you weren't the Moon Child, I'd still love you. If you end up being the death of me, I'll love you beyond death. And I will do anything and everything to save you from that psychotic man I bare relation to."

The room went black, and it was just them, together, and Roxas smiled at him. "You are crazy, you know that, right?"

"Crazy in love," Axel said.

"But, how can you be sure? How can you be sure that it's love and not just the Moon taint?"

"Because I loved _you_ before you were the Moon Child."

He felt Roxas disappear, and when he opened his eyes, everyone else was standing nearby. Savan nodded. "The courage to pursue and protect your love," he said. "It certainly is a strong power."

He turned away from the group and floated down the walkway. "There are teleporters that will bring you to where the bomb is. I need to go ahead and make sure it's fully functional." Savan then vanished from the room, and the group stayed silent and still for awhile. Xaldin, who had watched everyone's encounter through the mirror with Savan, was empathetic to all of them. They had faced some of their deepest fears, ones that they wouldn't have even admitted to having if they had never come here.

* * *

Paine led the group through the next part of the city until they found Savan and his creations. They were all floating in the air looking at the massive collection pillars. The magic was rushing to a single point and pulsing eerily. "Savan, is that it?" Paine asked stepping up on the ledge and looking at the magical energy.

"Indeed it is." He turned and looked at her with a smile, then looked at the others. "The strength of your hearts and the power of your wills: it all comes here to form the Psychedelic Bomb X." He raised his arm and staff with a joyous laugh. "The strongest magical attack crafted by a mortal of this world, all thanks to you, the Dragoons." The magical flow stopped and he flew forward collecting the small stone. He turned to Paine and held it out to her. "Here it is, my old friend," he said passing it to her carefully. "This should be enough to aid you if you ever come across the true dangers of this curse."

"Thank you Savan," Paine said placing the small stone carefully in her choker. "I will keep it safe."

"'Tis not the safety of it that I worry about, it is the battle that will come that will require it that I dread." He flew back and raised his staff. "Dragoons, you shall find the entrance to the Signet chamber down this walkway through the teleporters. I shall go ahead and prepare for your arrival.

* * *

Axel glanced up at the strange sphere suspended between the three pillars. Looking at it made him feel uneasy, like when Roxas used his powers; a strange, unearthly and fearful feeling, something like a nightmare. His thoughts were interrupted by a very unearthly screech. He swiftly stood up his eyes gazing around the watery area.

"Be at ease, Dragoon," Savan said calmingly to Axel. "It is just the Kraken coming to join us." Axel turned and looked down on the strange creature. The kraken looked like a giant hermit crab with four long squid like tentacles under its front pincers. On its exposed body were two holes which opened for every breath and closed after.

"It's really strange," Axel said slowly before looking back at Savan.

"An ancient creature- she is the last one." Savan's voice was sad. "Their species, like most of the other creatures of the world, were erased from history by my people. This female has survived all these years in my care, guarding this Signet." He looked to Axel. "As long as she and the Dragoons are here, and with that door sealed, Dart can never enter."

Axel turned to the door, with every passing moment he expected his father to burst through them in a fiery rage. Demyx laughed loudly focusing his attention there instead. He told the rest of them a story about when he was younger that caught their attention.

"So," Xaldin said strongly sitting down next to Axel. "Paine said something about a new type of battling skill that you've come to learn."

"Aura cloak?" Axel asked with a sideways glance. "Yeah, it's pretty intense and draining right now." He chuckled slightly. "Paine hasn't told the others about it yet, how did you find out?"

"She told me," Xaldin said lazily leaning back on his hands. "She was talking about encloaking the user in their element as a source of attacks and defense." Axel nodded. "Must be cool to learn," there was a slight bitterness within Xaldin's voice but Axel pretended not to notice it. He knew that Xaldin would have liked to have his Dragoon back, but Zexion was the true master so that would never happen. "Well, at least I can move out of the way," he chuckled kicking out and knocking his staff over. "Any guess on how long we will be sitting here?"

"I don't know," Axel said watching the Kraken moved around the room before diving back into the water.

"The kraken smells horrible, like a mix of rotting fish, dirty socks, and moldy bread," Xaldin said.

Axel turned to Xaldin and shrugged. "You seem a little too relaxed," he continued. Xaldin let out a sigh and glanced at Axel.

"You want to ask me something. Out with it," Axel said.

"Well I was wondering if…" Xaldin was cut off by the crash as the Kraken sprung out of the water with a screech. Everyone looked at it again but this time it was twitching like it was fighting off something near its ear. "That does not look very normal." There was a slight bang and they all turned to the door. When they turned up the Kraken was advancing on them.

"What is wrong my girl? Why are you so uneasy?" Savan called to the Kraken.

"_Oh Savan! Did you really think locking yourself in would keep me out?" _Axel jumped up at the same time Paine did.

"Dart! Come out and face us!" she yelled.

"Impossible! You are a human you do not possess that ability!" Savan cried out in fear.

"_I am a Dragoon, Savan, and in my years of travel I picked up on a few tricks."_ Dart's cold laugh echoed through the large chamber. "_Now, Kraken, destroy the Signet and begin the first step!" _The kraken whipped its long tentacle arms out at the pillars.

"No! Stop this madness, Dart! For the love of Soa!"

"Paine we have to do something!" Axel roared.

"Dragoons, be careful of the Signet! It must be preserved!" Axel immediately transformed and flew forward, blasting the creature into the ground with the aid of Paine. Demyx shot out around them summoning the water in the field and creating a thick ice and water shield around the signet.

"Good idea, Demyx! Stay there, do not let anything get past that shield!" Paine roared noticing the smaller creatures now coming up out of the water. They were also the guardians, they guarded the kraken and now that she was under attack they were coming to her aid.

"Yo Zexion give me a hand with these things!" Xigbar yelled from above the water's surface. He was blasting the creature to oblivion but they just kept coming. The creatures of the city were all now trying to destroy them and the signet. Zexion flew down swiftly sending a powerful burst across the water's surface scattering them all away.

Xion dived into battle, drawing back both her swords and severed one of the squid-like arms but second later was knocked from combat by a powerful jet of water from the Kraken. Xaldin rushed forward cutting through anything in his path then guarded Xion as she recovered.

"Guys I need help!" Demyx cried trying desperately to destroy the creatures in his path. He flung his arms forward killing several at once with a strong ice barrage but the creatures did not let up. The barrier he created shattered and water rushed over the field. The Kraken screeched and lashed out, sending the others back. Demyx was now the only one between her and the signet.

Its white glazed eyes fixed on his and for a very brief moment Demyx was paralyzed with fear; it was a strange darkness in that moment. He closed his eyes hearing the screams of the others. When he opened them the Kraken was only feet from him. It was time to focus, it was time to fight. He drew back his arms and then threw them into the air the stone on his chest glowing fiercely.

Paine drew back, a slight smile on her face. "What is that?" Axel asked glancing at her.

"Demyx finally mastering water," Paine said. A sense of pride in her voice.

The cold sea water shot up behind the kraken, it twisted and turned slowly becoming a solid creature. The yellow fins spread wide and it coiled around the bottom of the battle field. The yellow crest raised up as the creature's eyes narrowed harshly. It opened its mouth and let out an incredibly loud screeching roar before it dived forward latching on and around the Kraken. The Blue Sea Dragon's body swiftly coiled and curled around the creature before it dived into the water. Demyx dived down after the dragon, continuing the fight underwater .

"Axel, we need to deal with the lesser creatures now. If they damage the pillars holding the Signet, it will fail." Axel nodded calling the others to the pillars.

The elements clashed and bust out around the Signet as the Dragoons valiantly defended it. Its glow pulsed around the room, shifting their light but keeping them determined.

Demyx swiftly dodged around his dragon's body. His attacks were five times as strong in the water as oppose to in the air. He could form the ice where ever he pleased and could pierce the Kraken's armor with the aid of his Dragon. The whole while Demyx could hear Dart's voice echoing strangely through the water, but not a word was coherent. It was like a curse, driving the Kraken forward.

_We need to end this. Blue Sea Dragon to me!_ The dragon swiftly released the kraken before curling around Demyx. _Let's end this now!_

Axel looked down as the kraken was flung up second later smashing into the hard ice below. Below he could see the yellow of the sea dragoon. It twisted and turned following the kraken before it smashed up through the ice creating a strong current below, sucking it back down before it and Demyx pierced through its thick armor killing it. Red blood rushed through the water causing a cry to come from Savan.

Demyx flew up out of the water, calming and dismissing his dragon. "I'm impressed," Paine said landing next to Demyx. "You demonstrated complete control of your dragon as well as your element."

Demyx responded with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, Paine." The others soon landed and everyone congratulated Demyx on his fine display and courage. Xigbar patted Demyx on the back and laughed as the all began to celebrate their victory.

Savan smiled closing his eyes and lifting his head. It was sad to see his friend die but the Signet was saved. He opened his eyes and watched as the signet pulsed violently. His smile faded swiftly and his fears rose. "No, no, no!" He breathed watching the light pulse brighter and dim darker. A slow rumble began to fill the room. "Dragoons!" He called pointing. "Leave, leave at once!"

Paine turned and the fear flooded her face. "What's happening?" Demyx cried jumping back. Dart's cold laughed filled the chamber!

"_You foolish dragoons! Rose, you should have known better to play with the Dragoon Spirits around the Signet! I guess collecting the Moon Mirror was a waste of time! You all destroyed this for me!"_

"No," Axel muttered. "No this can't be happening!"

"Dragoons come! Leave the room now!" They did not hesitate, they all tore out of the room Axel and Paine as the last ones.

"Savan what are you waiting for!" Pane yelled angrily.

"The door to the teleporter should be open," he said looking to the signet and then to Paine. "Take it and you will find yourself in the law city of Zenebatos. The Signet is hidden deep within its bloody courts; Rose you must go there and stop Dart from taking that one! Beware though, the city is not dead. You shall find the road to the third there as well."

"That's all good now come on!" Paine yelled.

"I'm sorry," he said putting his hand against the wall so that the door slammed shut sealing him in the chamber and them outside. "You were..." he was cut off. "My friend, Rose... I shall see you on the other side someday!" Paine slammed her fist against the door yelling for Savan. Second later an explosion ripped through the city. The force flung them all backwards several yards. Paine jumped back up and ran to the door pounding on it once out of anger.

She looked down closing her eyes holding back the pain. "Savan…You were my friend as well." Her hand slid down the steel door. "And we shall meet again someday and we shall continue to be friends. I'll stop Dart even if it kills me... This I promise." She let out a small sigh and then turned to her companions. Only Axel was watching her, he tilted his head and she nodded. Paine looked back at the door only once and then led the group.

They had to move quickly through the city. Savan was dead and it was his life that had kept the city alive and untouched by the water. His death was causing the magic to break down. Water was beginning to rush in from all sides filling the city. They soon reached the area where the two massive locked doors were, but now they were open. Paine hurried them all in, and then closed the door with Laxaeus's help.

As Paine began to work the teleporter they heard the distinct thud of the water against the door. Paine did not look up but focused on what she was doing and soon the teleporter began to glow. "Before we step on this to leave," she said calling the attention of the dragoons. "You should understand the next place we will be going."

"Savan said something about the Law City?" Zexion commented.

"Yes, as I've told you this was the magic city; the place where winglie scholars studied magic. The city we now face is the law city, the place were winglies created the 'Laws of the Land', mainly where all the injustice came from. The battle area of the Forbidden City is nothing compared to the blood that stains this city."

"Certainly sounds like a terrible place," Xigbar said coldly folding his arms.

"Many trials were held here, almost all of them resulted in the death of the defendant."

"Almost?"

"We were tried there one time," Paine said looking at them. "But it was Meru who got us out of that situation. That girl could confuse anyone." Paine lookeddown with a soft smile. "That's beside the point. To get anywhere in this city, we need to play by the rules."

"Okay," Axel said glancing around. "What happened not too long ago was not anyone's fault," he said silencing the muttering. "We played right into a trap which no one saw. Now this time, he has to come to the signet and when he does we WILL be there to stop him."

"Then let's go already!" Xion snapped. "The longer we stand here and talk the closer he gets to the Signet." Paine clicked something and the teleporter lit up.

"Go," she said pointing. Xion jumped though first with Xaldin and Demyx, followed by Zexion, Lexaeus, and Xigbar. Axel turned to Paine who had turned to the door as the water began to creep in.

"What are you waiting for?" he said swiftly. "We need to go." Paine looked at him, clicked something else and they dived into the teleporter as the doors burst open.

* * *

**Part 2: Zenebatos**

It was like being sucked through a zigzagging tunnel of water, without the water. After a few minutes, Axel hit the ground hard and rolled a few times before stopping. "Need a hand?" Xigbar asked pulling him to his feet. "It's a hard landing to stick," he said patting Axel on the back. He lead Paine and Axel outside into the hot air. The wind was mild, but when Dart approached the ledge his heart leapt.

"Holy shit! How high up are we?"

"A few miles," Paine said glancing around. She approached a strange looking grey creature. It was floating on a brown disk like platform and seemed to be staring straight forward. "What station is this?" She demanded.

"**Winglie station number 64: Route to the main courts of Zenebatos and path to the signet sphere**."

"Good lets go!" Xion said stepping forward. The creature thing let out a howl much like a horn.

"**NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO **!" It screamed. "**Winglie code 703: humans shall not be permitted to the courts**!"

"Fan fucking-tastic!" Axel snapped.

"Hold up guys!" Demyx said jumping forward. "I'm a winglie remember? It should let me go!" He threw his hand forward placing it over the strange platform.

"**Invalid! No winglie detected!**"

"That's bullshit! I'm a winglie you twit!" Paine grabbed Demyx around the shoulders and pulled him back. He continued to rant even when they left the area.

"What now?" Axel asked.

"I'm not sure," she honestly replied. "We can't just fly there the magic in the city prevents that."

"Hey Axel? What is that?" They turned to Xaldin who was pointing at what looked like a flying blue manta ray. It circled over their heads before resting near the edge. Its large eyes fixed on them.

"Rose," it said.

"Who are you?"

"I am the wings of Savan." She pushed Demyx and the others aside and stepped forward. "My name is Coolan."

"What are you?" Axel called.

"I can fly you anywhere," he said responding to Axel. "If you wish to leave this place."

"Coolan, how do we get to the Signet?" Paine asked yelling over all the other questions the others started asking.

"Zenebatos, the laws city, here you will find three law offices. The Legislation office is first. Given the correct code, they will permit you a Law Production License, which you then take to the Law Factory. There, they will start the production of the law stone and give you the Law Launching license where you then go to the Law Launchers, who send out the law stone, creating a new law. The transport to the place is just around the corner there." He swung his tail around and pointed. "Rose, pay head, the law enforcers are still active and many dark creatures now inhabit this city. Humans are not allowed and, if caught, they are punished."

"We'll remember that. Thank you Coolan." The creature nodded and Paine lead the others around the corner. They found one of the strange brown platforms before them, and just to the left was another metallic creature floating above a station.

"**Welcome to the travelers station in the heart of Zenebatos. The Legislative office, Law factory and the Law Launchers may all be reached from here. Where would you like to travel**?"

"The Legislative office," Paine said strongly.

"**Now boarding for the Legislative Office please proceed to the platform for transportation!"** They all crammed onto the platform which a few moments later floated away from the lower station to the far right station.

"I have a feeling this is going to be the worst place we've ever visited," Axel muttered to Paine. The stone paths were swamped with the small clockwork creatures. Each shouting in load screeches over each other when one cut or bumped into another. "What exactly are these things Paine?"

"I believe they are called Laptos. They are artificial life forms," she said thoughtfully. "I believe that was what Savan called them when he created them."

"Savan created them?"

"Yes, you saw the other creatures in his work spaces. They are almost the same as these things. A fusion of technology and magic he said they were like complex clocks, able to live for long periods of time and never straying from what they were told to do." She passed around a group of them at a standstill. "There are different types. These ones, they put in effect laws which they know from their superior. Many formulate new laws based on what they were programmed to do. Others are programmed to see to the stations and that the city still functions. Others are the in charge of the different centers and creating the actual law stones and then there are the guards." She stopped the group and pointed to the taller and thin Laptos floating on the bridges high above. "Those are the guards."

"Why are some light brown and a few purple?" Zexion asked.

"We believed that the color differences are the rank differences. Some Laptos are built better than others." She glanced at the group. "The guards are quicker than they look, I don't know what they will do if they catch you so try not to get captured."

"Can't we fly?"

"We could, but there are the advanced guards which will shoot you out of the sky," Paine warned Demyx. They approached the teleporter to the far end of the platform and appeared up on the first bridge set. The Guard lapto was floating in the center of the bridge holding a long black rode with a floating green orb on the top. It floated around the mechanical creature as it stayed motionless.

"Let's go!" Xion said and she stepped off the teleporter symbol. At once, a light flickered at the top of the lapto's head. What looked like eyes flashed on and it stretched its body out raveling some of the clock work. Xaldin snatched Xion around the waist pulling her back. As soon as she was lifted off the ground the lapto returned to its dormant state.

Axel rounded on Paine who was staring at the thing. "Now what do we do?"

"I say we run as fast as we can!" Demyx jumped off the platform and charged at the lapto. It instantly began to move and went flying after Demyx but as soon as he reached the other side of the bridge it stop and went dormant back in its original place. Demyx cheered and jumped up and down looking at the others.

At once the others charged out in a mass. With so many people running in different directions and different patterns the creature became confused and everyone made it to the other side. "Okay, maybe this won't be so hard after all," Axel said as they appeared up on the next bridge. Their luck continued all the way to where they reached the final bridge. A sign at the far end of the walkway read _Legislative Office_. Only one lapto stood in their way.

The group charged forward however they instantly knew something was wrong. It's attack form was different and it was much faster than the others. Demyx reached the other side and looked around but the only person that was left was Lexaus who was walking slowly towards Demyx. The lapto was repeatedly hitting Leaxeus with the metal rod trying to do the same thing as it had done to the others but for some reason it was not working. It continued to yell "**INTRUDER! INTRUDER!"** however as soon as Leaxeus finished passing over the bridge it turned its head several times and floated away like nothing had happened.

"What happened to everyone?" Demyx yelled looking at the giant man.

"Teleported," Lexaeus said gruffly he glanced around. "We need to find out where." Demyx jumped onto his back and looked around. "What are you doing?"

"Well they can't teleport you but I'm sure they can do it to me," he said looking down at him. "We should go up in there and see if one of those things knows where we can find them." Lexaeus nodded and stepped onto the teleporter.

* * *

Axel shook his head and looked up and around but there was nothing to see. "Anyone alive?"

"I am!" Zexion yelled from the left.

"Same here," Xaldin muttered.

"I'm not!" Xigbar laughed.

"Where are we?" Xion said sounding uneasy.

"Prison," Paine answered. There was a bright light as Xion pulled out her dragoon and cast the darkness away. "Looks like we're missing two."

"Demyx and Lexaeus, where did they go?"

"Could have been sent to another jail cell," Paine said sitting down.

"Well how do we get out?"

"You don't," Paine said glancing to Xion. "These are designed to keep prisoners inside at all times, the only way out is the same way that you enter. Teleport."

"Let me try something," Xigbar said standing up. He rolled up his sleeves and put his fists together. With one swift attack he threw his fist forward pounding against the wall. The force could be felt through the walls and floor but nothing happened. "Mmm, strong walls."

"It was a good attempt," Paine said looking at him. "If we try it with the Dragoons, it would backfire on us, I'm sure."

"So what do we do then? Just sit here and wait?" Xaldin asked.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I don't mean to make things worse, but I think there are bodies in here," Zexion said in a uneasy voice. Xion screamed.

* * *

Demyx looked around and finally out of sheer aggravation he tackled one of the lapto and summoned water from the air. "Alright that's it where do you hold prisoners!"

"**Prisoners! Wingly code 659 all apprehended intruders shall be sent to the prisons!"** Lexaeus grabbed Demyx and pulled him up.

"How does that help us?" Demyx snapped. Lexaeus picked him up and turned him around the counsel of laptos passing out the licenses.

"Oh!" He rushed forward passing many. However the guard at the front threw him backwards.

"**NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"** It screeched. "**Cutting in the line is prohibited by order of wingly code 640!"** Demyx scowled but Lexaeus chucked, picked him up and put him at the end of the line.

"Don't forget the code." Demyx turned to him and stepped in the center.

"**Is this a revision of the law?"**

"Yes,"

"**State the number of the Wingly code!" **The middle Lapto shot.

"669."

"**WINGLY CODE 669, ALL HUMANS SHALL BE EXACUTED ON SITE!"**

"NO!" Demyx yelled. "I meant 659!"

"**NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ERROR, ERROR." **Lexaeus shook his head with only a slight smile. "**INVALID REQUEST! NEXT!" **Demyx yelped as he was thrown to the back of the line again.

"The code is 659, Demyx."

"Well if you're so smart, you do it!" Demyx said angrily as he rubbed the back of his head. Lexaeus stepped into the line and slowly made his way up to the center of laptos.

"**Is this a revision of the law?"**

"Yes."

"**State the number of the wingly code!"**

"Wingly article code 659."

"**Wingly article code 659 all unauthorized person and intruders shall be sent directly into the prisons! This is the law for correction?"**

"Yes."

"**Is there any objections!" **the center lapto yelled his head and eyes shifting to the others.

"**No."**

** "No."**

** "NO!"**

** "And its stands thus! Law production License grated."** Lexaeus stepped forward taking the sheet. "**Stand aside you are interfering with the days' quota!"** Lexaeus stepped aside and gently paced the sheet of paper in his shirt.

"Don't even," Demyx warned, jumping on his back before he walked to the teleporter.

* * *

"Got any threes?" Zexion muttered looking to Xaldin.

"Nope, go fish." Xaldin said and he turned to Xion. "Any fives?"

"Yes." She handed him her five and was about to ask Xaldin for a card when they were interrupted.

"This is shit!" Xigbar screeched. "Forth solitaire game I've lost in a row!"

* * *

Demyx took the paper from Lexaeus and jumped to the back of the line, waiting and waiting. He looked at the clockwork writing and then forward again. Suddenly something black shot through the metallic circle several feet away from the platform making him jump. "What in the name of Soa?" A few moments later another one shot inside following the same path. In fact the black objects flew in at a mechanical rate.

"I really hate this place," he stepped forward again finding himself next in line.

"**Law production license!"** The lapto grabbed the paper from demyx and stuffed it in the slot in his chest. "**WINGLY ARTICLE CODE 659 all unauthorized person and intruders shall not be sent to the prison!"** He drew the new paper form his chest and handed it to Demyx. "**Law launching license granted. Stand aside you are interfering with the days' quota!" ** Demyx stepped away and handed the slip to Lexaeus who safely tucked it into his shirt.

"Now we need to go to the Law Launchers," he said letting Demyx jump onto his back again. He walked to the teleporter and out onto the platform where, again, he was attacked by the purple guard lapto who was still trying to teleport him to the jail. They passed all the others and found themselves at the flying disk station again, but this time on their way to the Law Launchers.

When they reached the final path to the Law launchers, they found five purple guard laptos waiting for them. "Think they're pissed?" Demyx asked.

"Not as much as I am." Lexaeus stepped forward and the creature immediately shot forward however Lexaeus was tired of this and lashed out with a kick so powerful he sent the guard flying across the skyway where it shattered against a wall. Demyx threw his hands in the air and cheered.

"That was so badass! Do it again!" So as they walked whenever a guard charged them Lexaeus either kicked it into oblivion or crushed it unmercifully into the ground.

Finally after much smashing they reached the flying disk station. Demyx took the sheet hoped onto a flying disk and was on his way. He hoped off at the station and found several maniacal creatures waiting for him. Demyx placed the sheet in his shirt and drew back his hands summoning the water from the air around him.

Much like Lexaeus kicking the clockwork guards Demyx easily splattered the creatures against the wall and found himself at the desk of a single lapto. "**Present license!"**

** "H**ere you are," Demyx said passing the paper. The lapto took it and then hit a button.

** "Law has been launched. Now stand aside you are interfering with the day's quota!"** Demyx backed away and swiftly returned to the flying disk where he met Lexaeus.

* * *

Axel was beginning to lose hope when there was a loud bang. Everyone jumped up and looked around. "That did not sound like a good thing," he said. The sound echoed again but this time there were muffled voices. Paine drew everyone back from the source and a good thing too. Second later the wall shattered inwards bathing everyone in light.

"HONEY I'M HOME!" Demyx yelled as he swooped in with arms wide, his wingly wings supporting him.

"Demyx?"

"Hey Lex, we found them!"

"About time," Lexaeus muttered as he dropped in, dismissing his dragoon.

"Where the hell where you guys? How did you escape?"

"Escape?" Demyx asked glancing at Xigbar. He dropped to the ground and let his wings dissipate. "We were never captured. I made it across the way safely, and then we found that no matter how hard those things tried, they could not teleport Lex." Xigbar chuckled.

"Dude, you must have been too heavy for them."

"Not funny," Lexaeus muttered turning to Xigbar.

"Yeah don't piss Lex off, you know he smashed a lot of heads to get here," Demyx said.

"So how did you find us?" Paine asked.

"Revised Wingly Article Code 659: all unauthorized persons and intruders will not be sent to the jails. We changed the law so that we can freely walk through the city." The group glanced at each other then looked to Demyx and Lexaeus.

"Good job, Lexaeus, Demyx," Axel said patting Demyx on the shoulder. "Now we can move forward."

"Yep, so who's coming with me to revise the law for transport to the signet?" Demyx asked.

"Me," Paine said glancing around. "I doubt anyone remembered the wingly code."

"Okay, you two go do that then," Axel said looking to the others. "We'll make our way back to that station."

"Have fun guys!" Demyx cried as he flew off after Paine.

"What did he do?" Axel asked looking to Lexaeus.

"He almost changed the law to 'all humans will be executed' because he messed up one number."

"That's nice," Xigbar said slowly. "So how do we get out of here, big guy?" Lexaeus waved his hand and they followed him.

* * *

By the time they got back to where they had started, the late night hours had passed the sun was already rising in the sky. "Hell that took forever!" Zexion complained.

"This city is a lot bigger than I would have thought," Xaldin said glancing to Xion. "So where are Demyx and Paine?"

"Did I hear my name?" Demyx landed neatly down behind the group, Paine not too far behind.

"Good we are all here now." Axel said glancing to Paine. "How did it go?"

"Forever," Paine said dully. "Let's just get to the Signet." They approached the station.

"Signet room please!" Demyx chimed.

"**Humans may not enter the chamber of the courts!"**

"Don't you dare tell me that I changed the law!"

"**NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No revision of the law has been made!"**

"Why you metallic-" Something slammed into the ground next to the lapto making Demyx jump back. It clockwork creature's head rotated and it turned forward.

"**Wingly article code 703: humans are permitted to go to the Court chambers! This is station number 64 route to the Courts of Zenebatos and Signet Sphere. Select your destination."**

"The signet," Paine said pushing forward and putting her hand on the scanner.

"**Destination confirmed. Step on the flying disk."** They all stepped on. "**Number confirmed: destination Supreme courts and signet!"** The lapto pushed a button and the flying disk sped away. It was headed right for the tallest of the circular buildings, smack in the heart of the city.

After a few minutes the disk turned and docked onto another station. "**Supreme courts of Zenebatos and location of the signet," **the lapto said mechanically.

"Let's go. We need to stop Dart," Paine said and she lead the charge upwards into the main court. While she had warned them that the courts of Zenebatos were stained with the blood of millions, the smell was still unbearable, but it was the center of the platform which was the darkest.

"That smell," Lexaeus muttered angrily.

"SO YOU HAVE RETURNED TO FACE YOUR JUDGEMENT!" Paine jumped and turned around to see the old blood stained wingly floating in front of their path. "Rose of the humans! You are a Dragoon punishable by death!" They all looked around at the laptos and creatures in the stands. "HOW DOES THE JURY FIND HER!"

"GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY! GUILT! GUILTY"

"THAT YOUR PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!"

"Paine, what the fuck is going on here?" Xigbar said angrily.

"It seems that judge Nomos is not dead yet," she said venomously. "That will change very, very soon."

"Kubila, Vector, Selebus! My executioners, come and dispatch with them now!"

"Who, who, and who?" Demyx cried. Axel turned to see three black cloaked figures stand from the stands. Each one jumped down and drew off their cloaks.

"Ready to have some fun, Kubila!" The winglie creature on four legs cackled.

"As much as you will I am certain, Vector," Kublia said unfolding his black wings and summoning his skeleton scythe.

"Boys behave now, you must take your time and enjoy your food" Selebus laughed spreading her six white wings. Vector smashed his hands against the ground creating sparks with the blades on his hands.

"Enough talk now let's kill them!" He laughed. The three winglie executioners shot forward scattering the Dragoons in the air. Paine however ignored them and went straight for Nomos, who drew a long silver sword from mid air.

"How you have managed to cling to existence for this long I don't care to know, what I do know is I will kill you for what you did!" She summoned her sword and brought hers down full power.

Axel darted in the air dodging Vector and stopping right before Kubila along with Demyx and Lexaeus. "Three little Dragoons sitting in the sun, down came judge Kubila and then there were NONE!" He swung the scythe out letting out a powerful razor of dark energy. He laughed manically as the Dragoons scattered and immediately went in for the chase.

* * *

Xaldin looked around and saw Vector land and turn to him. "What's this? An extra? Haven't got a Dragon, have you human? Don't worry; old Vector will make your death quick."

"I've already died once, I don't plan it happening again," Xaldin said readying his staff. Vector laughed and charged forward on all fours. Xaldin crouched low to the ground and let out a swift strike but missed. Vector was faster than him; he turned to see the creature jump but a powerful white blast from above knocking him off course. Xion floated down with her swords ready she gave him a sideways glance before turning her focus on the animal-like being.

* * *

Xigbar and Zexion swiftly dodged the barrage of dark spells from the six winged Selebus. Her high cold laugh classed with her fellows and soon the cold chill was upon everyone. She swiftly darted around the pair forcing Xigbar into a defensive position. "Zexion can you get a clear shot? I can't."

"No, she's too fast." He turned and saw the new attack. Xigbar slid in between him and the blast. The explosion rocked the sky sending Zexion backwards. "XIGBAR!" Had he just witnessed the loss of another friend? The smoke began to clear and Xigbar was still flying. His arms were crossed and there was a deadly look in his eyes. The electricity jumped off his body and reconnected.

"This place has pissed me off on the highest level." He said slowly uncurling his arms. "No one tries to kill my friends with a cheap sneak attack!" He threw his arm into the air and the lightening rained down upon him. The sky had darkened as thunder rumbled over head. "Violet Dragon let's teach this bitch a lesson for not fighting in a fair fight!"

Paine swiftly dodged Nomos's spell then was forced to dodge as the massive purple horned dragon dived down from the heavens. A few minutes later its call was joined by that of the Silver dragon who had been called by Xion. She turned her attention back to her battle with a sense of pride. Almost everyone had reached the final level soon they would all be able to master the final skill needed. She dived down backwards avoiding the sword before sharply assenting to meet Nomos again.

* * *

Axel's spell had little effect on Kubila and again he was forced to dodge around the judge. He turned just in time to see Demyx dodge Selebus's spells to fall right into Kubila's scythe attack. The strike was so strong that Demyx dropped from the air losing his Dragoon form as he lost conciseness. "DEMYX!"

* * *

Lexaeus dived down sharply catching the fallen teen. He turned to see Kubila charge him. He had dismissed his tomahawk to catch Demyx but he did not need it to kill the judge. The whole building shook dangerously much like a table when bricks were dropped on it. Kubila stopped half way to Lexaeus and Demyx. The scythe slipped from his hands as he stared up at the massive armored dirt-colored dragon before him. It stepped down shaking the building and opened its mouth wide revealing the horrid tusks inside.

Lexaeus took advantage of Kibilas state of horror and summoned a javelin of sand and ran it through the wingly. Kubila stuttered blood running over his lips. "Your judgment, death." Lexaeus snarled before he tore the wingly in half. He turned to the Golden Dragon. "Destroy them," he said pointing at the creatures in the stands. "Leave none of them alive." Lexaeus dropped down and rested Demyx on the ground and became the defense for Xion as she cared for him. His eyes focused on his dragon's rage against the creatures of the courts.

* * *

Xigbar darted around speeding after Selebus along with the swift and deadly violet dragon. Its bursts of lightening leveled everything in its path. Selebus flew up and was ended by Axel and his chakrams. "Nice catch," Xigbar said stopping along with his dragon. "Isn't there a third one?"

"Not anymore. Xaldin ended that one with Xion," Axel said pointing to the Silver Dragon now attacking the courts with the aid of the Golden Dragon.

"Why don't you go join your friends." Xigbar said petting the side of the dragon. "It hissed and spread its four wings taking off swiftly.

"Have you seen Paine?"

"No, not since the beginning of the battle," Xigbar looked around. "Do you think she went to the signet?"

"We should do that now," Axel said swiftly. He had almost forgotten. The pair swiftly took off and found the lair of the signet. "Damn it!" Axel roared stopping near where the signet should have been.

Xigbar landed below and knelt down bushing what he thought was glass. We must have missed him by a little." Xigbar said out loud as Axel landed. "The glass is still warm." They both looked up to see a single lapto floating around a few feet away.

"**Signet has been destroyed. Fragments of the moon dagger recovered." **It turned towards them. "**Wingly code 666: Martial law incursion by humans into the city of Zenebatos shall be hindered by the placement of monsters within the city limits of Zenebatos."**

"Xigbar, I don't think that is a good thing," he said as the lapto began to screech _**intruders**_.

"No, I think it time we fell back with the group."

* * *

Paine swiftly dodged and drew up her sword. Nomos was incredibly powerful much like he was so long ago. "Give it up Rose you cannot escape your judgment. The death of humans is inevitable."

"No, _your_ death is inevitable," she said angrily. "You killed so many of my people! So many species were erased from the books by you and your _Court._ I will not allow Zenebatos to continue to live."

"The life that is here will never go out. The clockworks of our laptos will never end; laws will be passed when we rise again!"

"You will never rise again." She dismissed her sword and drew in her hands. "We will make sure of that." She looked down and closed her eyes. Nomos drew back his sword as Paine began to chant something.

"What are you doing?"

"What should have been done eleven thousand years ago!" She looked up sharply. "Dark Dragon, come forth!"

The air around began to grow cold; something slid over the sun turning the world darker and darker. She raised her hand out and opened her fingers. "Nomos, I pass my judgment onto you! Your punishment for your crimes against humans and so many others will be to rot in the deepest pits of the infernal world." Something rushed past Paine. Its red eyes glaring, it opened its mouth wide and swallowed Nomos whole. The creature spun around in a whirl of smoke and faced Paine before it dissipated into nothingness.

The sun and the warmth soon spread back over the land but she remained in the same spot. Her wing barely beat and her eyes hardly blinked. If Nomos was still alive, and Savan did that mean that he was still alive? Paine looked up towards the clouds. She had never thought of him, not since the tower was shot down by the humans.

Paine sighed slowly and looked to the law factory was. The only way to open the teleporter to Mayfil was to go around the law again. With her sight set, she took off. They had to stop Dart there, he had already come and gone from here she had sensed him. Landing on the ground she pushed through the laptos and was granted her license.

"How did this happen? Why did it come to this?" She asked turning in the license for the next. "Why Dart? Why are you so hell bent on destroying everything?"

* * *

Axel looked up and moved aside as Paine landed. "We..." He turned as the law stone smashed into the ground. "Never mind," he said watching her. "Hey are you alright?"

"You know what this means." She said looking at Axel. "Axel this is not good."

"I know what it means," he said lowering his arms. "We all do. How far it goes is up to Soa, but right now we need to finish this and we need you."

"Axel, will you be willing to make the same choice as I must when it comes time?" There was silence.

"There is no choice it will have to be done," he said looking at her. "I just want Roxas back and I will not stop." The other Dragoons came out of the teleporter room and gathered before Paine. "So what is next?"

"Mayfil, the city of the dead."

* * *

Veroxen: Hell that was long…First a good thanks to Cy who was kind enough to write the section of questions asked by Savan. I just could not come up with anything good. Back to this, a long section which normally would have been broken up into two chapters but Cy does not like Zenebatos (and who does really?) so I pulled both cities, and yet even with nothing happening in Zenebatos i still managed to write more there... So to the basics we don't claim to own any of the characters or the lands of Legend of Dragoon however as always we claim the chaotic combination! Stay tuned for Cy with her chapter coming to a theater near you!


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